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A HUNDRED EASTERS 


The following table shows on what date Easter Sunday will 
cur in each year for a hundred years. 

oc- 

1911 


16 

1946 .. 


21 

1981 ... 


19 

1912 


7 

1947 .. 


6 

1982 ... 


11 

1913 


23 

1948 ... 


28 

1983 .. . 


3 

1914 


12 

1949 . . 


17 

1984 ... 


22 

1915 


4 

1950 .. 


9 

1985 ... 


7 

1916 


23 

1951 . . , 


25 

1986 ... 


30 

1917 


8 

1952 


13 

1987 ... 


19 

1918 


31 

1953 


5 

1988 ... 


3 

1919 


20 

1954 ... 


18 

1989 ... 


26 

1920 


4 

1955 . . , 


10 

1990 . . . 


15 

1921 


27 

1956 ... 


1 

1991 ... 


31 

1922 

April 

16 

1957 ... 


21 

1992 ... 


19 

1923 

April 

1 

1958 .. . 


6 

1993 . . . 


11 

1924 


20 

1959 ... 


29 

1994 . . . 


3 

1925 

April 

121 

1960 ... 


17 

1995 ... 


16 

1926 


4 

1961 ... 


2 

1996 ... 


7 

1927 


17 

1962 . . . 

. . .April 

22 

1997 ... 

. .March 

30 

1928 


8 

1963 . . . 


14 

1998 ... 


12 

1929 

March 

31 

.1964 . . . 


29 

1999 ... 


4 

1930 


20 

1965 . . . 

. .April 

18 

2000 . . . 


23 

1931 


5 

1966 ... 


10 

2001 ... 


15 

1932 


27 

1967 ... 


26 

2002 . . . 

. .March 

31 

1933 


16 

1968 ... 

. .April 

14 

2003 . . . 

. .April 

20 

1934 


1 

1969 . . . 


6 

2004 . . . 


11 

1935 


21 

1970 ... 


29 

2005 . . . 


27 

1936 


12 

1971 ... 


11 

2006 . . . 

. .April 

16 

1937 


28 

1972 ... 


2 

2007 . . . 


8 

1938 

April 

17 

1973 ... 


22 

2008 . . . 

. .March 

23 

1939 

April 

9 

1974 . . . 

. .April 

14 

2009 . . . 

. .April 

12 

1940 


24 

1975 ... 

. . March 

30 

2010 ... 


4 

1941 


13 

1976 .. . 


18 

2011 ... 

. .April 

24 

1942 

April 

5 

1977 


10 

2012 . . . 

• April 

5 

1943 


25 

1978 ... 


26 

2013 . 

, . March 

31 

1944 


9 

1979 ... 


15 

2014 .... 

. .April 

20 

1945 


1 

1980 ... 


6 

2015 . . . . 

, .April 

5 


(Copyright, 1913, by William E. Barton) 


Calendars showing on what day of the week Christmas, July 4th, Thanks- 
giving, or other holiday will occur, and indicating the day of the week on which 
a person was born, and the day of any other anniversary within the last cen- 
tury or during one hundred years to come, will be found in the back of this 
volume. 































































































6 


































DAY BY DAY WITH 
JESUS 


A BOOK FOR HOLY WEEK 


THE COMPLETE GOSPEL NARRATIVE WITH 
NOTES AND COMMENTS 

ORIGINAL AND SELECTED 


WILLIAM E. BARTON, d. d. 

AUTHOR OF ‘‘JESUS OF NAZARETH: HIS LIFE AND THE LAND IN WHICH HE LIVED 
“THE PSALMS AND THEIR STORY”; AND ONE OF THE EDITORS OF 
“HIS LAST WALK,” “HIS LIFE,” ETC. 



THE PURITAN PRESS 
OAK PARK AND SUBLETTE, ILLINOIS 
1913 


I 




COPYRIGHT 1913 
BY WILLIAM E. BARTON 

The text of the American Standard Bible, copyright 1901 by Thomas Nelson and Sons, 
is used by special permission of the publishers. 



$ £ ^ -0 
©CI.A343415 


SZ. n h -*0 A H 


PREFACE 


Each year sees an increase in the number of churches 
and Christian people observing Easter and the days 
immediately preceding as a time of special religious 
emphasis. The custom once confined almost wholly 
to non-liturgical churches has now become well nigh 
universal. The fact that we are more definitely in- 
formed concerning the chronology of this last week 
than of any other period of our Lord’s life lends ap- 
propriateness to the celebration of the anniversary as 
the Spring of each year brings it forcibly before the 
thought of reverent Christian people. 

Several years ago the author of this volume in com- 
pany with other ministers of suburban Chicago pre- 
pared the interwoven Gospel narrative known as i 1 His 
Last Week.” This has met a hearty welcome not only 
in every branch of the English-speaking Church, but 
in every land where the English language is known. 
The wide reception given to this booklet brought a 
demand for a larger work containing helps and com- 
ments for ministers, teachers and others. There is al- 
most total dearth of such literature. 

Guided by the large numbers of letters received from 
ministers and others, this book has been prepared. It 
is intended first of all for the assistance of ministers, 
but it is believed that many teachers and other Chris- 
tian people will find it also of service. 

The Scripture narrative herein contained is a new 
interwoven text from the American Standard Bible, 
based upon and following the paragraph divisions and 
headings of “His Last Week.” 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 




THE STORY OF THE LAST JOURNEY. 

GOING UP TO JERUSALEM 2 

He departed from Galilee 3 

And came beyond the Jordan 4 

And they were on the way 4 

Jesus’ foreknowledge of his death 5 

The things that were to happen 5 

The resurrection invariably foretold 6 

Thomas, who is called Didymus 6 

Jesus at Ephraim 7 

The route from Ephraim 3 

And passed through Jericho 8 

He went before, going up to Jerusalem 10 

Those who followed Jesus 10 

Then came 11 

The mother of the sons of Zebedee 12 

“One on thy right hand, the other on thy left” 13 

“Are ye able to drink the cup?” 13 

The throne of Zebedee’s children 14 

“Ye shall drink of my cup” 14 

For whom it hath been prepared 14 

The seven lessons of the cross 14 

The material for the study of the passion 15 

Omitted incidents 16 

The teaching as Jesus approached Jerusalem 16 

The joy set before him 17 

THE FEAST AT BETHANY 18 

Jesus therefore . . . came to Bethany 19 

Six days before the passover 19 

So they made him a supper there 20 

Simon the leper 20 

Mary anointed Jesus 20 

Ointment of pure nard 21 

An alabaster cruse 21 

Exceeding precious 22 

There were some that had indignation 22 

“Let her alone” 22 

The heart of the master 22 

“She hath wrought a good work” 23 

“To prepare me for my burial” 23 


VI 


Contents 


Mary’s reward 24 

Wheresoever the gospel is preached 24 

The worth of unmeasured love 25 

A gift distinctly feminine 25 

THE STORY OF PALM SUNDAY. 

THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY 29 

Palm Sunday 30 

An Old Testament triumphal entry 31 

The route of the triumphal procession 32 

At the Mount of Olives 32 

The village over against you 33 

“The Lord hath need of him” 33 

The procuring of the ass . 34 

“He will send him back” 34 

He saw the city and wept 34 

Psalms and tears 34 

The tears of Jesus 35 

The most part of the multitude 35 

They that went before 36 

Branches cut from the fields 37 

The palm as a symbol., 37 

Spread their garments upon the way 38 

The pathos of the procession 39 

“Hosanna to the Son of David” 39 

“The Son of David” 39 

“Tell ye the daughter of Zion” 40 

“Blessed is the King that cometh” 41 

That it might be fulfilled 41 

“The prophet from Nazareth of Galilee” 42 

The zeal of Galilee 42 

He entered into Jerusalem 43 

The Golden Gate 45 

The significance of the triumphal entry 45 

Jesus directed the preparations 46 

Significance of the Messianic entry 46 

The entry a deliberate challenge 47 

“Behold, how ye prevail nothing” 47 

“Lo, the world is gone after him!” 48 

All the city was stirred 48 

Jesus entered into the temple of God 49 

He looked round on all things 49 

He went out unto Bethany 49 

The continuous entry 49 

Palm Sunday customs 49 

THE STORY OF MONDAY. 

THE CURSING OF THE FIG THREE 52 

He hungered 52 


Contents 


Vll 


Seeing a fig tree 53 

Nothing but leaves 53 

The reason for cursing the fig tree 54 

THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE 55 

He entered into the temple 56 

Herod’s temple . 56 

Sold and bought in the temple 58 

The profanity of the traffic 58 

The cleansing of the temple 59 

Cast out . . . and overthrew 59 

Money changers 60 

The vigor of Jesus 60 

The indignation of Jesus 61 

“Is it not written?” 62 

“A den of robbers” 62 

The hand that held the whip 63 

The cleansing of the temple; its teachings 63 

The lesson of Monday 64 

Annas and his sons as extortioners 64 

The congregation of the poor 65 

Sought to destroy him 66 

The blind and the lame 66 

The healing of the blind and lame 66 

The last miracles 67 

The children’s praises 67 

The children ... in the temple 67 

“Perfected praise” 67 

And every night he went out 68 

Lodged there 68 

THE STORY OF TUESDAY. 

THE LESSON FROM THE WITHERED FIG TREE 70 

The fig tree withered away 71 

THE CHALLENGE OF CHRIST’S AUTHORITY 71 

The reaction 71 

Chief priests 72 

The elders 72 

The scribes 72 

“Why did ye not believe him?” 73 

“Neither tell I you”, 74 

Solomon’s porch 74 

The challenge of Jesus’ authority 74 

Legal authority to teach required 75 

The authority of Christ..., 76 

Jesus’ reply • 77 

Jesus as a controversialist 78 

THE TWO SONS 79 

The parable of the two sons. 79 

Publicans 79 


viii Contents 


THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN 80 

“Hear another parable” 81 

Hedge . . . winepress . . . tower 81 

“The stone which the builders rejected” 82 

“The head of the corner” 83 

The vinedressers condemned 83 

To whom the parable was addressed 84 

Teachings of this parable concerning Christ 84 

THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING’S SON 85 

“To call them that were bidden” 85 

And they would not come 86 

The parable of the marriage 86 

The wedding garment 86 

TRIBUTE TO CAESAR 87 

The Pharisees . . . took counsel 87 

The Herodians 88 

“Tribute unto Caesar” 89 

“The things that are Caesar’s” 90 

Tribute to Caesar 90 

The payment of tribute 90 

The use of Caesar’s coin 90 

Jesus’ teaching concerning money 91 

THE QUESTION OF THE RESURRECTION 92 

Certain of the Sadducees 93 

The belief of the Sadducees 94 

“His brother should take the wife” 95 

“But are as the angels of God” 95 

The plots against Jesus 96 

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT 96 

And one of the scribes came 97 

“What commandment is the first of all?” 97 

“Hear, O Israel, the Lord is one” 97 

Question concerning the commandment 98 

Love to God and Man 98 

“Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself” 99 

THE UNANSWERABLE QUESTION OF JESUS 99 

“The Lord said unto my Lord” 100 

“If David call him Lord, how is he his son?” 100 

Jesus’ unanswerable question 100 

Authorship of Psalm 110 101 

DISCOURSE OF JESUS AGAINST THE SCRIBES AND 

PHARISEES 102 

The discourse agaimst the Scribes and Pharisees 104 

“They make broad their phylacteries” 105 

“Be ye not called rabbi” 106 

“Call no man your father” 106 

“Ye tithe mint and anise and cummin” 107 

“Strain out the gnat” 107 


Contents 


IX 


Straining out gnats and swallowing camels 107 

“Ye cleanse the outside of the cup" 108 

Building the tombs of the prophets 108 

“Whited Sepulchres’' 108 

“The blood of Zechariah’’ 109 

Woes against the Pharisees 109 

Hypocrites 110 

THE WIDOW’S TWO MITES 110 

The court of the women Ill 

' Cast money into the treasury Ill 

Two mites Ill 

“All her living” 112 

THE GENTILES SEEK JESUS 113 

Certain Greeks 114 

The Gentiles seeking Jesus 115 

The request of the Greeks 115 

Jesus’ response and deep emotion 116 

“The Christ abideth ever” 117 

The way of the cross 117 

The voice from heaven 118 

Love and duty , 118 

Life through death 119 

“I lay down my life” 119 

“I, if I be lifted up” 120 

“Except a grain of wheat die” 121 

“Draw all men unto me” 122 

The voluntary character of the death of Jesus 123 

THE JEWS REJECT JESUS 123 

“That the word might be fulfilled” 124 

Jesus’ last word in the temple 125 

His last public teaching 125 

The unbelief of tlfe Jews explained 126 

The lower and the higher success 127 

The consequences of faith and unbelief 127 

DISCOURSE CONCERNING THE FUTURE 128 

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! 132 

“Not . . . one stone upon another” 132 

Occasion for the discourse 133 

“The signs of thy coming” 134 

Signs of the parousia 134 

“The end of the world” 135 

The Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven 135 

Three interpretations of Mt. chs 24, 25, 136 

“Jerusalem compassed with armies” 137 

The prophecy concerning the destruction 138 

The abomination of desolation 138, 139 

“Them that are with child — and give suck” 139 

“Pray that your flight be not in winter”. 139 


X 


Contents 


“Or on a Sabbath” 139 

The destruction of Jerusalem foretold 139 

The great tribulation 140 

The true sign and the catastrophe . 140 

The siege of Jerusalem 141 

“Grinding at the mill” 141 

The larger meaning of the destruction of Jerusalem 142 

THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS 143 

“At midnight ... a cry” 143 

“Our lamps are going out” 144 

“Give us of your oil” 144 

The door was shut 144 

“Lord, Lord, open to us” 145 

THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS 146 

“A man going into another country” 147 

“Unto one he gave five talents” 147 

“I hid thy talent in the earth” 148 

“Put my money to the bankers” 148 

Talents 148 

The reckoning with the slothful servant 149 

THE JUDGMENT SCENE 149 

“Before him shall be gathered all nations” 150 

“The sheep from the goats” 150 

“I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink” 151 

“A stranger and ye took me in” 151 

The unconsciousness of those judged 151 

The tests of the judgment 152 

THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST JESUS 152 

“Thirty pieces of silver” 152 

Judas and the priests 153 

And they gave him thirty pieces of silver 154 

THE STORY OF WEDNESDAY. 

The probable events of the day 155 

The Bethany silence 156 

THE STORY OF THURSDAY. 

PREPARATION FOR THE PASSOVER 159 

Sacrificed the passover 159 

Origin of the passover 161 

The passover in the time of Christ 161 

The passover as now observed by Palestine Jews 162 

The passover as observed by the Samaritans 163 

The time of Christ’s last supper 163 

On the first day of unleavened bread 165 

He sendeth two of his disciples 166 

“Thy time is at hand” 166 

“The master of the house” 166 

The renting of guest chambers 166 


Contents 


xi 


A large upper room 166 

They made ready the passover 168 

STRIFE AMONG THE DISCIPLES 169 

When it was evening 169 

A contention among them 169 

The strife for precedence among the twelve 170 

“Continued with me in my temptations” 170 

“Eat and drink ... in my kingdom” 170 

THE BETRAYER POINTED OUT 170 

As they sat and were eating 171 

As they were eating 172 

The shadow at the supper 173 

Judas Iscariot 173 

“Is it I, Rabbi?” . 174 

“Dipped with me in the dish” 174 

“Thou hast said” 174 

Dipped the sop 175 

Having received the sop, went out 175 

It was night .175 

JESUS WASHES THE DISCIPLES’ FEET 175 

He began to wash the disciples’ feet 176 

The washing of the disciples’ feet 177 

He began to wash the disciples’ feet 177 

“Dost thou wash my feet?” 177 

“Ye ought to wash one another’s feet” 177 

“He that eateth my bread” 178 

THE LORD’S SUPPER 179 

“With desire I have desired”. 179 

The Lord’s Supper 179 

The breaking of Jesus’ reserve 180 

The need of a rite 181 

The relation of the supper to the passover 182 

He took bread . . . and brake it 182 

When he had given thanks 182 

“This is my body” 183 

The bread of life 183 

The night of betrayal 184 

He took a cup 185 

“My blood of the new covenant” 185 

The meaning of the bread and the wine 185 

The significance of the Lord’s supper 186 

A service, not a sacrifice 187 

The number at the table 188 

THE FAREWELL CONVERSATION 188 

“I will smite the shepherd” 193 

“Satan asked to have you” 193 

“Buy a sword” 194 

“Let not your heart be troubled” 194 


xii Contents 


“And in me, too, trust” 194 

“Many mansions” 195 

“If it were not so, I would have told you” 195 

“I go away to prepare a place for you” 196 

The place prepared for us 197 

Questions by Thomas and Philip 197 

“How know we the way?” . 198 

Philip saith, “Show us the Father” 198 

“I go unto the Father” 199 

“Because I go unto the Father” 200 

“Another comforter” 201 

Judas (not Iscariot) 201 

“Greater works than these shall ye do” 202 

“Even the Spirit of truth” 202 

“He shall not speak from himself” 203 

The promise of the Holy Spirit 204 

The promise concerning the Comforter 205 

The vine and the branches 205 

The unfruitful branch 206 

The disciples urged to love one another 206 

“The joy that a man is born into the world” 206 

“I have overcome the world” 207 

THE INTERCESSORY PRAYER 207 

“Glorify thy son” 208 

“I pray for them” 209 

The victory of the Son of Man over sorrow 210 

The victory within the soul of Jesus.... 210 

Sung a hymn 211 

THE STORY OF FRIDAY. 

April 7, 30 A. D. 

THE AGONY IN GETHSEMANE 213 

He went, as his custom was, unto the Mount of Olives ..214 

There was a garden 215 

“Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder” 217 

“Watch with me” 217 

Christ shrinking from the cross 217 

The agony in the garden 218 

He cometh and findeth them sleeping 219 

“Sleep on, now” 220 

“What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” 220 

THE BETRAYAL AND ARREST 220 

“Buy a sword” 222 

“Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he” 223 

And kissed him 224 

The band of soldiers 225 

A multitude with swords and staves 226 

“Whom seek ye?” 226 

“Lord, shall we smite with the sword?” 227 


Contents xiii 


Peter drew his sword 227 

“Are ye come as against a robber?” 228 

They all forsook him and fled 228 

The young man in the linen sheet 229 

THE DENIAL OF PETER 229 

The steps of Peter’s fall 230 

The began he to curse 231 

The bad and good in Peter 231 

Our attitude toward Peter 231 

THE REMORSE OF JUDAS 232 

The remorse and suicide of Judas 232 

THE TRIAL BEFORE THE JEWISH AUTHORITIES 233 

The two trials 234 

Led him to Annas first 235 

Caiaphas, high priest that year 235 

Jesus and Annas 235 

To the high priest 236 

The scribes and elders 236 

Jesus held his peace 237 

To the house of Caiaphas 237 

In the midst of the court 237 

Two witnesses required 238 

The chief priests sought false witness 238 

Tried by the Sanhedrin 239 

Morning session of the Sanhedrin. 240 

“At the right hand of power” 240 

THE TRIAL BEFORE PILATE 241 

The governor 242 

Unto Pilate 242 

“We found this man perverting our nation” 243 

A notable prisoner named Barabbas 244 

Now Barabbas was a robber 244 

The crown of thorns 245 

JESUS BEFORE HEROD 247 

He sent him unto Herod 247 

The house of Herod 248 

The hearing before Herod 248 

THE TRIAL BEFORE PILATE RESUMED 249 

Gabbatha or pavement 251 

The praetorium 251 

The judgment seat 251 

The timidity of Pilate 252 

“Crucify him!” 252 

The trial before Pilate -253 

The prevailing voice 254 

The sixteen questions of Pilate 254 

Pilate’s knowledge of the case 255 

The character of Pilate 256 


XIV 


Contents 


He washed his hands 256 

The plea of Pilate’s wife 257 

The second trial before Pilate 258 

The scourging 259 

“We have no king but Caesar” 260 

The verdict on a technical plea of guilty 260 

Was the trial of Jesus legal? 261 

The illegality of the trial of Jesus 262 

THE SORROWFUL WAY. 262 

Via Dolorosa 263 

Stations of the cross 263 

He went out bearing his cross 264 

THE CRUCIFIXION 265 

A place called Golgotha 267 

The time of the crucifixion 267 

The witnesses of the crucifixion 268 

The mother at the cross 268 

It was written in Hebrew, and in Latin and Greek 269 

And they sat and watched him there 270 

Wine mingled with gall 270 

The seven words 271 

The height of the cross 271 

Crucifixion 272 

The cross 273 

The, physical cause of the death of Jesus 273 

There was darkness 274 

The darkness 274 

The passion flower 274 

The vail of the temple was rent 274 

“Into thine hand I commend my spirit” 275 

The death of Jesus 275 

“It is finished” 275 

The side of Jesus pierced 276 

The cross as an instrument of punishment 277 

The cross as an emblem 278 

Legends about the crucifixion 282 

The discovery and loss of the alleged true cross 283 

Legends of the tree of the cross 283 

THE BURIAL 285 

The entombment 285 

Joseph of Arimathea 286 

The belated courage of Nicodemus 287 

The new Calvary 287 

The Holy Sepulchre 288 

Reasons for believing in the new Calvary 292 

Have we discovered the tomb of Christ? 295 

The Holy Sepulchre 298 

The rolling stone 299 


Contents 


xv 


Jewish burial 299 

Good Friday 300 

Superstitions concerning Friday 301 

Hot Cross Buns 301 

THE STORY OF SATURDAY. 

April 8, A. D. 30 

THE WATCH AT THE TOMB 303 

The watch at the sepulchre 303 

The gloom of the disciples.. 304 

The day after 304 

THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY. 

THE EARTHQUAKE 308 

The narratives of the resurrection 308 

Conjectural reconstruction of the narratives 309 

The disciples’ belief in the resurrection 310 

An angel . . . rolled the stone away 311 

And sat upon it 311 

The resurrection . . 312 

The resurrection revelation 312 

THE EMPTY TOMB 313 

The news brought to Peter and John 313 

The doubt of the disciples 314 

The unbelief of the disciples 314 

Then went in also that other disciple 315 

The napkin that was about his head 316 

The resurrection a mystery 316 

THE APPEARANCE TO MARY 317 

Mary was standing without, at the tomb 318 

The appearance of the angels 318 

His mother’s sister Mary 318 

The Marys at the crucifixion 319 

THE APPEARANCE TO THE WOMEN 320 

The women at the sepulchre 320 

Prominence of the women 321 

Jesus met them, saying all hail 321 

They came and took hold of his feet 322 

THE APPEARANCE AT EMMAUS 322 

The journey to Emmaus 324 

Ought not the Christ to have suffered? 325 

THE APPEARANCE TO THE DISCIPLES 236 

The reality of the resurrection of Jesus. 327 

The evidential value of Christ’s resurrection 327 

Importance of the resurrection 328 

The identity of the risen Saviour 329 

Easter 329 

The date of Easter 330 


XVI 


Contents 


A fixed date for Easter 331 

The Easter egg 332 

The Easter lily 333 

REPORT OF THE WATCH 333 

The report of the soldiers 333 

THE STORY OF THE FORTY DAYS. 

THE APPEARANCE TO THE DISCIPLES AND TO 

THOMAS 337 

The eight days after 337 

“Reach hither thy finger” 338 

The stigmata 338 

Thomas said, “My Lord and my God” 338 

THE APPEARANCE TO THE SEVEN BY THE SEA 339 

Appearance by the Sea of Galilee 340 

The two words for love 341 

The meaning of the miracle 343 

Fishing on the Sea of Galilee 343 

The fish as a symbol 344 

THE APPEARANCE TO THE ELEVEN ON THE MOUN- 
TAIN 344 

The great commission 344 

THE LAST APPEARANCE AND ASCENSION 345 

The final interview in Jerusalem 346 

The ascension 347 

The glory of the ascension 347 

Lent 348 

The abiding Christ 348 


CALENDARS FOR 100 YEARS 349-352 

A HUNDRED EASTERS Front of Book 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


ICbe Stor\) of tbe Xaat 3onrn«? 

It was in the autumn of the year 29 A. D., six months 
before the Crucifixion, that Jesus took his final depar- 
ture from Galilee. Brief accounts of this removal are 
found in Mt. 19 :1, Mk. 10 :1 and Lk. 9 :51-56. Jerusalem 
was his destination, but he traveled toward it slowly, 
stopping frequently to preach and to heal. Much of 
the time was spent in a region east of the Jordan, 
known as Peraea, a section which J esus naturally would 
reach by crossing the Jordan south of the Sea of Gali- 
lee. His Peraean ministry is recorded almost entirely 
by Luke (9:51 — 19:28), though important incidents 
have their parallels in the other gospels. Jesus left 
Peraea to visit Jerusalem at the time of the Feast of 
the Dedication, which in that year, 29 A. D., occurred 
Dec. 20-27. On that occasion, while walking in the 
temple, he refused to announce his Messiahship but 
fearlessly proclaimed his oneness with the Father. 
Accusing him of blasphemy, his enemies sought to lay 
violent hands upon him, but he escaped and withdrew 
beyond Jordan, where he remained until summoned to 
Bethany, a few weeks later, on the occasion of the death 
of Lazarus (Jn. Chaps. 7-11). When his raising of 
Lazarus from the dead resulted in fresh plots against 
his life, he went to “a city called Ephraim / ’ in “the 
country near the wilderness” (Jn. 11:54). Later he 
returned, by a circuitous route, to Peraea, and from 
thence took up his last journey to Jerusalem, by way 
of Jericho. In the latter city he healed two blind men, 
one of whom bore the name of Bartimaeus. While in 
Jericho his brief stay in the home of Zacchaeus brought 


2 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


rich spiritual results to his host. Luke, Chapter 19, 
records this visit, also the Parable of the Pounds, which 
Jesus uttered on leaving Jericho. At this stage of his 
journey, when two of “The Twelve” bespoke for them- 
selves the chief places of honor in that temporal king- 
dom which they judged he was soon to establish, Jesus 
rebuked their ambition, taught the greatness of service, 
and adding to the warnings which he had given them 
during the few weeks preceding, for the first time 
proclaimed himself “a ransom for many” (Mt. 20: 
20-28). 

A week before the Crucifixion, probably on Fri- 
day morning, March 31, Jesus left Jericho, “ascend- 
ing up to J erusalem, ’ ’ mingling with the crowds flock- 
ing to the Holy City to celebrate the approaching Pass- 
over. Plans were already on foot among the chief 
priests and Pharisees to seize Jesus, if he should show 
himself at the Feast. He did not enter Jerusalem that 
night, but remained at Bethany, as the guest of Laza- 
rus and his household. It is generally supposed that 
J esus arrived in Bethany on Friday, some time before 
the sunset with which the J ewish Sabbath began, and 
that the feast given in his honor at the home of Simon 
the leper occurred on Saturday evening, at the close of 
the Sabbath. J ohn 12 :l-8 tells us of the presence, 
at that supper, of the resurrected Lazarus, and records 
his sister Mary’s immortal deed. The morrow finds 
Jesus completing the last few miles of his journey and 
approaching Jerusalem for the last time. 

GOING UP TO JERUSALEM 

And it came to pass when the days were well nigh come 
that Jesus should be received up, he steadfastly set his face 
to go to Jerusalem. And he departed from Galilee, and 
passed through the borders of Samaria and Galilee, and 


THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 3 


came into the borders of Judaea beyond the Jordan. And 
great multitudes followed him, and he healed them there. 

And they were on the way, going up to Jerusalem; and 
Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed; and 
they that followed were afraid. 

And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them the 
things that were to happen unto them, saying, “Behold, we 
go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered 
unto the chief priests and the scribes; and they shall con- 
demn him to death, and shall deliver him unto the Gentiles ; 
and they shall mock him, and shall spit upon him, and shall 
scourge him, and shall kill him ; and after three days he shall 
rise again.” 

Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said unto his 
fellow-disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with 
him.” 

And he entered and passed through Jericho and went on 
before, going up to Jerusalem. 

Now the passover of the Jews was at hand: and many 
went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the pass- 
over, to purify themselves. They sought therefore for 
Jesus, and spake one with another, as they stood in the tem- 
ple, “What think ye? That he will not come to the feast?” 

Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given com- 
mandment, that, if any man knew where he was, he should 
show it, that they might take him. (His Last Week pp. 4-5.) 

He departed from Galilee. (Mt. 19:1.) Six months 
before his final departure from Galilee Jesus delivered 
his sermon on the Bread of Life ( Jn. 6 :22 — 7 :1), and it 
is recorded that from that time many of his disciples 
went back and walked no more with him. Then fol- 
lowed two extended journeys to the northward; one, 
to the region of Tyre and Sidon (Mt. 15:21-28), and 
the other to the slope of Mount Hermon, where the 
Transfiguration occurred (Mt. 17 :1-13). After this, 
Jesus left Galilee, presumably in November, 29 A. D., 
and began what was his final journey to Jerusalem. 
This journey lasted six months, and included the whole 
of his ministry in Persea, the sojourn in Ephraim, and 


4 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


the visit to Bethany at the time of the death of Laza- 
rus. 

And came beyond the Jordan . (Mt. 19:1-2.) The 
name Persea is given by J osephus to the district which 
in Rabbinical literature is spoken of as “The Land 
beyond Jordan.” It is high table land, with deep and 
picturesque ravines, falling by a series of cliffs into 
the Jordan valley. Josephus says that while larger 
than Galilee, it is less fertile. The soil, however, is 
good. Much of it can be cultivated, and the greater 
part of the remainder is good for pasture. There is 
a good supply of water, also, and there are more 
natural forests of oak than on the other side of Jordan. 
This region was occupied by the descendants of Gad 
and Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh. In the 
early days it was counted as half Gentile, but some 
great religious leaders, including Elijah the Tishbite, 
came from there. It was to this region that David 
fled from Absalom, and here he was kindly treated. 
Here Jesus found refuge in the last months of his 
ministry. Here, too, after the destruction of Jerusa- 
lem, the Christians fleeing from the doomed city took 
refuge. Eusebius (H. E. iii :5) states that they took 
refuge in Pella, at that time one of the most attractive 
places in Persea. 

And they were on the way . (Mk. 10:32.) The chief 
companions of Jesus on this last journey were the 
twelve chosen disciples, all of whom continued with 
him to his destination, though Judas is supposed to 
have withdrawn from Bethany for some hours to 
arrange for the betrayal of his Master. Besides the 
betrayer, only Thomas, Peter, James and John are 
mentioned by name. Jesus was attended, in all proba- 
bility, by many other persons, principally from Galilee, 


THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 5 


including some whom he had healed of physical in- 
firmities. A company of women who were friends, and 
in some cases relatives, of Jesus, followed near, but in 
a separate caravan. Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary 
of Magdala, and Salome, the mother of James and 
John, are known to have been of this faithful band that 
followed Jesus to the end, sharing the sorrows of the 
Crucifixion and the wonder of the Resurrection (Mt. 
27:55, 56). 

Jesus’ foreknowledge of his death. While the first 
explicit utterance of the prediction took place at Caesa- 
rea Philippi only some six or eight months before the 
close of Jesus’ ministry, it by no means follows that 
the forecast was not present to him at a much earlier 
period. All the indications point the other way. The 
very immediacy with which he followed up Peter’s 
confession of his Messiahship with the announcement 
of his suffering suggests that the idea was already 
fixed in his mind, and was only waiting a fit opportun- 
ity of utterance. And this is borne out by the saying 
which all the Synoptics record as spoken during his 
early Galilean ministry, that a sad time was coming 
for the children of the bridechamber, when the bride- 
groom should be taken away from them (Mt. 9 :15 ; Mk. 
2:20; Lk. 5:35). The reference is vague and illusive, 
but it indicates what his own thought was dwelling 
upon long before the hour had struck for plain speech 
about it even to the disciples. — David W. Forrest, 
D. D., in S. S. Times. 

The things that were to happen. (Mk. 10:32.) For 
the third time, at least, the disciples are made aware 
by Jesus of his coming passion. He had already fore- 
told his death ; first, in the region of Caesarea Philippi 
(Mt. 16:21-28; Mk. 8:31 — 9:1; Lk. 9:22-27), and again 


6 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


just after the Transfiguration (Mt. 17:22, 23; Mk. 
9:30-32; Lk. 9:43-45). On this journey he twice re- 
peated the warning. Prompted by the devotion of 
Thomas, the disciples sadly agreed to go with him that 
they might die with him, but the impossibility of be- 
lieving that the Master in whom they trusted could 
meet such a fate re-asserted itself at intervals. 
Amazed at the hazard he was assuming, they ceased to 
question or protest, but followed him as he went be- 
fore, ascending up to Jerusalem. 

The resurrection invariably foretold. It need cause 
no surprise that the prophecy of his death is always 
accompanied by the announcement of his resurrection. 
The death, however disastrous it might seem, was the 
indispensable condition of triumph. Jesus’ forecast 
of the future could not but close on a note of hope and 
victory. Possibly this was the reason why the dis- 
ciples, in spite of his repeated announcements, never 
really anticipated his death. The idea of a resurrec- 
tion on the third day appears to have bewildered them, 
as the resurrection was always associated in their 
minds with the final judgment. The one thing of 
which they were convinced was that Jesus, as Messiah, 
must reign forever over the souls whom he had re- 
deemed (Isa. 9:7), and thus they largely dismissed 
from their minds everything that seemed to impair 
this assurance. His prediction of death and resurrec- 
tion had little immediate effect upon them; the value 
of it lay in the future, when the events spoken of had 
taken place, and the disciples “remembered that he 
had said such things unto them” (Lk. 24:8; Jn. 2:22). 
— David W. Forrest, D. D., in S. S. Times. 

Thomas , who is called Didymus. (Jn. 11:1.) The 
name Didymus signifies “the twin,” and there is a 


THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 7 


wide-spread, but unsupported, tradition that he was 
the twin-brother of Jesus. An apocryphal book of 
the second century makes him the first missionary to 
India, whither he went after selling himself as a slave 
to an Indian merchant. Earlier traditions, however, 
make Persia his field. Secular historians state that he 
met martyrdom by means of a lance. Thorwaldsen’s 
famous statue of St. Thomas, in a Copenhagen church, 
represents him as “the thoughtful, meditative skeptic, 
with the rule in his hand for the due measuring of 
evidence and argument.” 

All our actual knowledge of the apostle Thomas 
comes from the Gospel of John, where he is mentioned 
in 11:16, 14:5, 20:24-29, 21:2. These word-pictures 
bring before us a man of character — one naturally 
despondent and incredulous, but, when once convinced, 
a devoted and ardent advocate. His exhortation to the 
other disciples, recorded in Jn. 11:16, exhibits an un- 
wavering loyalty that must have been of great com- 
fort to our Lord as he journeyed to Jerusalem to face 
certain death. That Thomas remained faithful is 
made clear in Acts 1 :13, where he is mentioned among 
the apostles assembled after the ascension. 

Jesus at Ephraim. ( Jn. 11 :54.) Ephraim is a town 
not mentioned in the Synoptic Gospels, nor in any 
other part of the New Testament, excepting Jn. 11:54. 
There Jesus went, after the raising of Lazarus, in 
consequence of the plot formed by the rulers of the 
Jews. Robinson suggests that Ephraim is the same 
as Ophrah, mentioned in I Sam. 13 :17, and identifies it 
with the village called el-Taiyibeh, and this is generally 
accepted as fulfilling the conditions required by the 
narrative of John. 

According to Andrews ’ chronology, Jesus departed 


8 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


to Ephraim at the latter part of February or early in 
March, continuing there until just before the Passover. 
He was thus in Ephraim several weeks. We have no 
record of the way in which his time was spent. He 
may have made excursions to the neighboring villages, 
but, as his object in going to Ephraim was seclusion, 
it is probable that he spent the days quietly with his 
disciples, preparing them by instruction for the time 
when he could no longer be with them in the flesh. 

The route from Ephraim . It appears that Jesus, on 
leaving Ephraim, made a brief detour on the northern 
frontier to some place along the southern border of 
Galilee, possibly to meet his mother and other friends 
who were to accompany him to Jerusalem. They ap- 
pear to have come through southeastern Galilee and 
the borders of Samaria, crossing Jordan, passing 
through Peraea, and recrossing Jordan near Jericho. 

And passed through Jericho . (Lk. 19:1.) This 
ancient and celebrated city in the Jordan valley, about 
seven miles north of the Dead Sea and five miles west 
of the river J or dan, is on a plain of great fertility, and 
grows all manner of tropical products. The summer 
heat is great and the region is unhealthful, but the 
winter climate is pronounced delightful. The name 
Jericho probably means “ place of fragrance.” There 
was a fortress here before the Jewish occupancy, but 
it was captured by J oshua and destroyed. It was the 
first city to fall to the Israelites after they crossed the 
Jordan (Joshua 6). It was rebuilt in the days of Ahab 
by Hiel, the Bethelite (I Kings 16 :34). In Elijah’s day 
it was the home of a group of the prophets (II Kings 
2:15, 16). In New Testament times Herod the Great 
built a new city a short distance from the older city 
and raised it to great importance. Later it was de- 


THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 9 


stroyed by Vespasian, but again rebuilt, though on a 
different site. It was long known as “the city of palm- 
trees/ ’ but these now have disappeared, as well as 
the roses, grapes and balsam for which it was once 
famous. 

The site of the ancient city is a plateau about a 
quarter of a mile in length and one eighth of a mile 
wide, distant from modern Jericho about a mile to the 
northwest. Upon this plain are seven hillocks rising 
about thirty feet above the plateau, which is itself 
some thirty feet above the plain of the Jordan. In 
April, 1907, excavations were made which revealed a 
massive wall of burned bricks, on a stone foundation, 
together with the remains of a tower, or fortress, 69x35 
feet, and 20 feet high, believed to be the ancient city 
wall. There is reason to believe that further excava- 
tions in the vicinity of J ericho will yield results to the 
archaeologists. 

The modern village of Jericho is a squalid place of 
three hundred inhabitants. For the most part they are 
unattractive and evil spoken against. The men are 
said to be robbers and the women appear spiteful and 
untidy, and even the children are unpleasant in man- 
ners and appearance. 

The most imposing ruin in the village is pointed out 
to the credulous as the house of Zacchaeus. A large 
and beautiful spring is named “The Fountain of 
Elisha,” from the tradition that it was the fountain 
sweetened by that prophet. 

The region about Jericho was familiar to Jesus. 
His baptism occurred not far from there, at the very 
beginning of his ministry. The scene of his temptation 
in the wilderness was not far distant. It is altogether 
probable that several of his subsequent journeys 


10 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


caused him to pass through the city, but we have no 
record of any, except this one that occurred just before 
the triumphal entry. 

He went before , going up to Jerusalem . (Lk. 
19:20.) The way from Jericho to Jerusalem is an al- 
most continuous ascent. The Master led the way in 
that steep and weary climb of thirteen miles. 

The Dead Sea is 1,300 feet below sea level, and 
Jerusalem, measured at the northwest angle of the 
present wall, is 2,589 feet above the Mediterranean. 
The road is one long climb. It skirts the edge of the 
deep ravine known as the Wady el-Kelt, on whose 
opposite side are several monasteries and the homes of 
many hermits, and passes the Brook Cherith, where 
Elijah hid from Jezebel, and then winds and climbs 
through the Wilderness of Judaea till it rounds the 
Mount of Olives. Midway to Jerusalem is an inn, 
known as “The Inn of the Good Samaritan/ ’ Farther 
toward Jerusalem is a spring known as “The Apostles ’ 
Fountain,’ ’ so named from the tradition that on this 
last journey Jesus and his disciples rested and re- 
freshed themselves there. The tradition has nothing in 
Scripture to support it, but is not only reasonable but 
probable. There is no reason to doubt that the spring 
was there in Jesus’ day, and it is not likely that foot 
travelers from Jericho would have passed the spring 
without stopping there for rest and refreshment. 

Those who followed Jesus . They walked, not be- 
side him, for the way was not wide, and he had a 
path which he must tread alone, but they walked in 
his steps. They had followed him for months, and 
faithfully. Let not the memory of their frailties blot 
out our just recognition of their fidelity. Earth has 
few more beautiful examples of loyalty than they dis- 


THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 11 


played. Only the true record of the few times they 
failed holds it in its precious place in the list of human 
atfections, fallible and within the reach of common 
men, but closely approaching the love they learned 
from the Lord himself. They followed him while the 
crowds were growing, and after the multitudes had 
departed. They followed him when they had hope of 
crowns and thrones ; and after he had told them of the 
cross and shame. They followed him with expectation 
of sharing his glory; and now they were going with 
him that they might die with him. Now and then their 
old faith in his triumph asserted itself, and they grew 
confident and quarrelsome, so like ourselves were they, 
but it was not chiefly this that was taking them to 
Jerusalem. It was a love which Jesus had inspired, 
which, living or dying, honored or rejected, impelled 
them to follow him to the end. Let others remember 
how weak they were ; we ourselves shall not be able to 
forget it ; but we will bear no part with those who joy 
in magnifying the inconsistencies they displayed. 
Rather will we reverently drop in behind them as they 
climb, and count it joy that we who are not worthy to 
loosen the sandals of the least of them, may place our 
steps in theirs and those of our blessed Lord. — The 
Week of Our Lord's Passion, pp. 74-75. 

Then came . “Then came!" And what was the 
particular time which was assumed to be so favorable 
to the quest ? What was the psychological moment? 
What says the context, for the context so frequently 
sheds a lurid or interpreting light upon the 
text? “And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he 
took the twelve disciples apart, and on the way he said 
unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem ; and the 
Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priests 


12 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


and scribes ; and they shall condemn him to death, and 
shall deliver him nnto the Gentiles to mock, and to 
scourge, and to crucify; and the third day he shall be 
raised up.” The narrative is darkening into twilight 
and night; the heavens are becoming overspread and 
there loom the approaching presences of betrayal and 
condemnation and crucifixion. Surely, in such awful 
midnight, all petty and frivolous thought will be up- 
heaved as by the convulsions of an earthquake ! Sure- 
ly all trifling purposes will be enlarged by a solemn 
wonder ! Surely all hot and feeverish ambition will be 
cooled and transfigured into sacred pity and awe! 
4 ‘ Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee, 
with her sons . . . asking a certain thing of him. ’ ’ 
In the moment of austere sorrow private ambition be- 
came obtrusive! We must not assume that these men 
and their mother had been unimpressed by the Mas- 
ter’s sad and mysterious speech. I would rather as- 
sume that they have shared the general depression, 
and have been subdued into tender seriousness and 
tears. But would not the assumption make the asso- 
ciation altogether violent and unnatural? Natural or 
unnatural, I find many interpreting analogies in my 
own experience. It is amazing how speedily a settled 
temper can stain through a new impression and oblit- 
erate it. It is marvellous with what strength a domi- 
nant purpose can break through a temporary emotion 
and subdue and destroy it. How often laughter walks 
just at the heels of tears ! • How frequently frivolity 
pitches its tents in the very precincts of the sanctuary ! 
It is almost incredible what subjects men can discuss 
when they are returning from a funeral. — J. H. Jowett, 
The School of Calvary, pp. 83-85. 

The mother of the sons of Zebedee. (Mt. 20:20.) 


THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 13 


Her name was Salome (Mt. 27:56; Mk. 15:40). It is 
believed that she was the sister of the mother of Jesus 
( Jn. 19 :25), a relationship which may have emboldened 
her to ask special favors for her sons, James and 
John. They seemed to have accompanied her and sug- 
gested to her the request which she made of Jesus. 
To speak of <4 the sons of Zebedee ,, is the Oriental 
equivalent of giving them a surname. Not only are 
sons named after their father in this way, but also in 
Palestine the father and mother are named after their 
first-born son. Not only would James be spoken of as 
the son of Zebedee, but Zebedee, among his intimate 
friends, would be spoken of as “father-of- James.” 
Salome was one of the women who sat near the cross 
of Jesus, and was early at the sepulchre on Easter 
morning. 

“ One on thy right hand , the other on thy left.” (Mt. 
20:21.) Among Orientals, the seat on the right hand 
of a ruler is that of highest authority, and next to that 
in importance is the one upon the left. The ceremonial 
value of these places is greatly and proudly recognized 
even in the humblest home, and in any gathering where 
rank is considered these places are eagerly striven 
for. It is pathetic to remember that when Jesus came 
to his kingdom a few days later, entering it by way 
of the cross, no disciple occupied the place at his right 
hand or his left, but these places were taken by two 
robbers, crucified with him. 

“Are ye able to drink the cup f” (Mt. 20:22.) A 
primitive custom still obtains among desert tribes, 
in which the host, offering refreshment to his guests, 
drinks first of all from the cup which he is about to 
pass. This cup of hospitality is a proof of good faith. 
To decline to drink the proffered cup, on any pretext, 


14 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


is equivalent to suggesting a suspicion of poison or 
of bad faith. To be able to drink the cup is to exhibit 
proof of sincerity and good fellowship. 

The “cup” which Jesus was about to drink signified 
suffering, and he made it plain, not only to James 
and John, but to the other ten disciples as well, that 
they must suffer with him before they could reign with 
him. 

The throne of Zebedee’s children . Heaven is the 
abode of the sacrificial, the gathering place of cru- 
saders; the secret of heaven’s glory is to be found in 
the glorious characters we have fashioned on the way. 

The sons of Zebedee came to the throne, but by ways 
of which they had never dreamed. “Now about that 
time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex 
certain of the church. And he killed James the brother 
of John with the sword.” . . . “Ye shall indeed 
drink of the cup that I drink of!” James sealed his 
sovereignty by the bloody slopes of martyrdom. As 
for John, the evening of his days was a stormy and 
blood-red sunset, spent in the pains of an exile sus- 
tained by the inexpressible fellowship of his Lord. — 
J. H. J owett, The School of Calvary, pp. 96-7. 

“Ye shall drink of my cup.” (Mt. 20 :23.) In every 
one of the predictions of his passion, the Lord in some 
way indicated that his disciples were to share with him 
the sacrifice and the glory of his suffering. 

For whom it hath been prepared. (Mt. 20:23.) 
There is no indication that the highest places in heaven 
have been awarded and are eternally assigned in ad- 
vance to any ancient saints. So far as we know, the 
places at the right and left hands of Jesus in heaven 
are still open. 

The seven lessons of the cross. Seven times Jesus 


THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 15 


foretold his passion. 1. At Caesarea Philippi (Mt. 16: 
21-28). 2. At the Transfiguration (Mt. 17:22-23). 3. 
At the beginning of the journey to Jerusalem (Mt. 20 : 
17-19). 4. At the time of the request of Zedebee’s 
wife for her sons (Mt. 20:20-28). 5. At the feast of 
Bethany (Mt. 26:6-13). 6. When the Greeks sought 
him in the temple (Jn. 12:30-36). 7. In the Upper 
Room (Mt. 26:26-30). See also the parallel passages 
in the other gospels. 

The material for the study of the passion . The story 
of the sufferings and death of Jesus, and of the resur- 
rection, occupy only eight days out of a ministry 
that may have been somewhat more than three years in 
length, yet these narratives occupy about thirty-six per 
cent of the material of the gospels. The percentage is 
largest in the Gospel of John and smallest in the Gos- 
pel of Luke. Various circumstances have been sug- 
gested to explain the large amount of space given to 
the narrative of these days. First, Jesus seems to 
have filled the closing days with intense activity, both 
as regards the Jews, whom he sought to save, and as 
regards his disciples, whom he sought to prepare for 
his death. Second, the events and words of the last 
days of Jesus would naturally impress themselves most 
deeply on the minds and hearts of the disciples, and so 
when the time to write of them came, a fuller narrative 
could be produced than could be written of other peri- 
ods of his life. Third, the apostolic church from the be- 
ginning regarded the death of Jesus as of fundamental 
importance, and for this reason dwelt with peculiar 
interest on the events immediately connected with it. 
It is the only part of the ministry of Jesus which we 
are able to follow in anything like an accurate order of 
events from day to day. 


16 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


Omitted incidents. An extended study of the passion 
of our Lord would be enriched by a review of the en- 
tire Peraean ministry, from the final departure from 
Galilee on October 29 (Mt. 19:1; Mk. 10:1; Lk. 9:51- 
56), and the Feast of Tabernacles, which appears to fix 
the date of that departure ( Jn. 7 :2-52). So far as we 
are able to learn Jesus did not return to Galilee after 
that feast. The incidents of the Peraean ministry are 
given in His Life, pages 123-154. These incidents form 
a kind of review and epitome of the entire ministry of 
Jesus. In the compilation of His Last Week the story 
of the last journey to Jerusalem is condensed by the 
omission of the discourses and incidents of the jour- 
ney, as the purpose of the pamphlet would he hindered 
by the inclusion of a large amount of matter intro- 
ductory to the story of the days of Holy Week. The 
minister who is conducting services preparatory to 
Holy Week will find appropriate subjects in the fol- 
lowing five topics, which are not included in His Last 
Week: 1. Jesus a Third Time Foretells His Death 
and Resurrection (Mt. 20:17-19; Mk. 10:32-34; Lk. 
18 :31-34) ; 2. The Ambitious Request of the Mother 
of James and John (Mt. 20:20-28; Mk. 10:35-45); 
3. The Healing of Two Blind Men Near Jericho 
(Mt. 20:29-34; Mk. 10:46-52; Lk. 18:35-43); 4. The 
Visit to Zacch^us In Jericho (Lk. 19:1-10) ; 5. The 
Parable of the Pounds (Lk. 19:11-28). 

The teaching of Jesus as he approached Jerusalem . 
What John records out of this period is rather the 
controversies growing out of Christ's teaching in the 
temple than the teaching itself ; and yet the points on 
which the controversies turned were probably also the 
vital points of his teaching. These points are so in- 
tensely personal that, although the present work does 


THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 17 


not include the teaching of Jesus in detail, they may be 
briefly enumerated. Thus he claims a unique knowl- 
edge of the Father (Jn. 7 :16 — 8:38, 55, etc.), a unique 
mission from the Father ( Jn. 7 :28 — 8 :16, 18, 23, 26, 
28, 42 — 10:36), and a unique union with the Father 
(Jn. 8:16; 10:30, 38). All these claims are but dif- 
ferent aspects of the one Messianic claim, which seems 
to have been as prominent in this period as was the 
preaching of the Kingdom of God in the early Galilean 
ministry. He refers again and again to his approach- 
ing death, and regards it as an act of self -revelation. 
It will show him to be the Messiah ( Jn. 8 :28) ; it will 
prove that he is the good shepherd (Jn. 10:11, 15, 17, 
18). Out of his Messianic consciousness; which is 
brought forward so prominently, comes the urgent 
statement of man’s need of him. His hearers shall die 
in their sins unless they believe that he is the Christ 
(Jn. 8:24). He alone gives freedom, light, life 
(Jn. 8:12, 36; 10:10). Such is the fulness of the per- 
sonal Messianic claim which, according to John, char- 
acterized the teaching of J esus in this period. — George 
Holley Gilbert, Student’s Life of Jesus, p. 209. 

The joy set before him. It is clear that Christ had 
been perplexed and disappointed at the reception of 
his message. The proud and wealthy cities by the lake 
had not repented, although they had seen his mighty 
works. The Pharisees had derided him. The Sad- 
ducees had met him with undisguised hate. No rabbi 
had joined his company. No scribe sat at his feet. A 
few fishermen, a tax-gatherer, a political insurrection- 
ist, men so humble that their names are unrecorded, 
and women who lived simple village lives, made up his 
company. “Not many wise men after the flesh, not 
many mighty, not many noble.” God had hidden his 


18 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


grace from the wise and prudent, and revealed it unto 
babes. He was at first bewildered, disappointed, sad- 
dened. But “in that hour,” as be saw these men’s 
hearts aflame with spiritual desire, and as be marked 
the beginning of their spiritual power, he realized 
his Father’s infinite wisdom in giving him, not proud 
rabbi and crafty scribe, but honest, child-like men. He 
accepted the will of God with a deep joy. “Even so, 
Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.” — W. M. 
Clow, The Cross in Christian Experience, p. 97. 

THE FEAST AT BETHANY. 

Jesus therefore, six days before the passover, came to 
Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the 
dead. So they made him a supper there in the house of 
Simon the leper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one 
of them that sat at meat with him. Mary therefore, having 
in an alabaster cruse a pound of ointment of pure nard, very 
precious, brake the cruse, and poured it over the head of 
Jesus, and his feet, and wiped his feet with her hair; and 
the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. 

But when the disciples saw it they had indignation among 
themselves, saying, “To what purpose is this waste?” And 
they murmured against her. And Judas Iscariot, one of his 
disciples, that should betray him, saith, “Why was not this 
ointment sold for three hundred shillings, and given to the 
poor?” 

Now this he said, not because he cared for the poor; but 
because he was a thief, and having the bag took away what 
was put therein. Jesus therefore perceiving it, said unto 
them, “Let her alone. Why trouble ye this woman? Suf- 
fer her to keep it against the day of my burying. For the 
poor ye have always with you ; but me ye have not always. 
She hath done what she could; she hath anointed my body 
beforehand for the burying. And verily I say unto you, 
Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached throughout the 
whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall 
be spoken of for a memorial of her.” 

The common people therefore of the Jews learned that 
he was there: and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but 


THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 19 


that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised 
from the dead. But the chief priests took counsel that they 
might put Lazarus also to death ; because that by reason of 
him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus. 
(His Last Week, p. 4; Mt. 26:6-13; Mk. 14:3-9; Jn. 11:55- 
12 : 11 .) 

Jesus therefore . . . came to Bethany. (Jn. 12: 

1.) The town of Bethany, now known as el-Azarijeh, 
or ‘ 4 place of Lazarus,” is situated a little less than 
two miles east of Jerusalem, on the main road to 
Jericho. The modern village is a wretched one, with 
only about forty houses, and the population is largely 
Moslem. 

Although so small, it is the largest, and indeed the 
only real village between Jericho and Jerusalem, and 
while very near to the latter city, is entirely cut off 
from sight or sound of it by the intervening shoulder 
of the Mount of Olives, on whose slope it rests, about 
400 feet below the top. True to the custom of supply- 
ing sites for all scenes about which travellers inquire, 
the inhabitants display the home of Lazarus, the house 
of Simon the Leper, the tomb of Lazarus, the place 
where Martha met Jesus, and as many more places 
as the curiosity and credulity of tourists demand. 
It is enough to know that the place itself is the same 
place ; that here, in this quiet village of vineyards and 
gardens, among true friends, Jesus rested during the 
weary hours of his last week. 

Six days before the Passover . (Jn. 12:1.) Thus, 
apparently, on Friday. It is not definitely stated that 
the feast occurred on the day of his arrival. The order 
of events as recorded by John favors this theory; but 
if we had only Matthew and Mark we might suppose 
that the feast occurred on the following Wednesday, 
the day of which otherwise we have no account. 


20 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


So they made him a supper there. (Jn. 12:2.) John 
probably gives the correct order in placing the occur- 
rence of the Bethany feast on Saturday, April 1, the 
day before the triumphal entry; but, if the accounts 
of Matthew and Mark are chronologically accurate, the 
date would he Tuesday evening, April 4, or Wednes- 
day, April 5. The supper took place at the home of 
Simon the leper, of whom we know nothing, though 
there have been numerous conjectures concerning him. 
From the fact that “Martha served” in Simon’s home, 
some scholars have inferred that she was either the 
widow or the daughter of Simon the leper. It is more 
reasonable to suppose that he was simply a well-to-do 
leper whom Jesus had healed, a close friend of Lazarus 
and his sisters, one whose larger home was better 
adapted for the holding of the feast. A plausible sug- 
gestion in regard to this supper is that it may have 
been a sort of public festival, participated in by the 
villagers, in gratitude for the signal benefits which 
Jesus had brought to their hamlet. Given at the close 
of the Sabbath, when people were free and out of 
doors, it would attract a large number of spectators. 

Simon the leper. (Mt. 26:6.) Beit Haawar, which 
means “the house of the one-eyed,” or “he that lacks 
one eye,” is the name of a numerous, hospitable, and 
influential tribe in Mt. Lebanon. It is possible that 
Simon himself never was a leper, but was called “the 
leper” on account of a leprous ancestor of his, as our 
friends of Mt. Lebanon are now called “the one-eyed,” 
because of their progenitor who lacked one eye. — Mrs. 
Ghosn-el Howie in S. S. Times. 

Mary anointed Jesus. (Jn. 12:3.) We are distinctly 
told by J ohn that the woman who anointed Jesus on this 
occasion was Mary, the sister of Lazarus, thus clearly 


THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 21 


distinguishing this occurrence from the anointing in 
Galilee, at the house of Simon, a Pharisee, by a woman 
who was “a sinner” (Lk. 7: 37). The theory that 
identifies either Mary of Bethany or the woman men- 
tioned by Luke with Mary Magdalene is entirely with- 
out reason. 

Ointment of pure nard . (Mk. 14:3.) All Orientals, 
men as well as women, are exceedingly fond of per- 
fumes. Musk, carnation, violet and rose form the 
basis of their favorite essences. The strong odor of 
the oil of spikenard is disliked by most Occidentals, 
but is highly agreeable to people of the East. The 
Indian nard plant, or spiked-nard, from the blossoms 
of which the ointment is derived, is a species of 
valerian, growing at high elevations (such as the Him- 
alaya mountains) and once much prized as a cosmetic 
and a medicine. The Romans used the oil of spike- 
nard for anointing the head. Dioscorides, an early 
Greek botanist, mentions several ingredients, includ- 
ing myrrh, balm and oil, to be found in this ointment. 
The Latin poet, Horace, offered his friend Virgil about 
thirty-six quarts of wine in exchange for a small onyx 
box of spikenard (Carm., lib. iv., od. 12). 

An alabaster cruse . (Mt. 26:7.) The ointment 
was inclosed in an alabaster flask, only the thin neck 
of which, or possibly the seal, need be broken when the 
contents were to be used. Because alabaster was so 
universally employed in making receptacles, of this 
sort, the term alabastra gradually came to be applied 
to all perfume vessels, of whatever material. Thus, 
Theocritus speaks of “ golden alabastra.” 

The tombs of Egypt and Palestine yield many ala- 
baster flasks made for ointment, perfume or eye-paint. 
The material of alabaster is stalactite, formed by the 


22 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


dripping of lime-water in caves. It is white or cream- 
colored, with a banded structure, as the water contains 
more or less iron or other coloring matter. 

Exceeding precious. (Mt. 26 :7.) The pound of liquid 
nard, with which Mary anointed Jesus, was, indeed, 
“a princely gift,” its worth, according to Mark, being 
three hundred shillings, nearly the equivalent of an 
Orientals wages for an entire year. Its present day 
value would be $50, but money had far greater pur- 
chasing power in Jesus ’ day. 

There were some that had indignation. (Mk. 14:4.) 
If Jesus had said, “To what purpose hath this waste 
of the ointment been made?” it would have been one 
of the most popular texts in the Bible. J udas was not 
the only one who murmured. Few of us yet have risen 
far above his point of view. 

“Let her alone.” (Mk. 14:6.) Jesus’ rebuke of the 
murmurs shows how deeply moved he was. One may 
almost deduce from it a complete view of Christian 
service. He goes straight to the vindication of the use- 
less act by pointing to the motive which gave it all its 
fragrance. It was “a good work” because it was 
“upon” (or perhaps rather “unto” or “directed to- 
ward”) him. The Greek word here used for “good” 
conveys the idea of beauty as well as goodness and the 
underlying thought of the eulogium is that any deed 
is fair and good in the measure in which Christ is its 
object and aim. It comes to the same thing whether 
we say the fairest fairness and the best goodness of 
our acts depends on Jesus being their end and aim, or 
we say that it depends on love to him being their mo- 
tive. — Alex McLaren, D. D., in S. S. Times. 

The heart of the Master. Two deeds drew from our 
Saviour praise which has made them shine like 


THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 23 


stars in the darkness of Holy Week. Both were done 
by women, — one by a nameless widow so poor that 
two mites, which make a farthing, constituted all her 
living; the other by a lady of means whose name is 
honored wherever the gospel is preached. 

What the widow did no one but the Saviour noticed 
until he pointed to it. What the lady did was noticed 
apparently only to be blamed, until his approbation 
of her conduct shamed her censors into silence. Of 
the widow who gave the two mites he said, “She hath 
cast more in than all they which have cast into the 
treasury.” 

To Mary for pouring the spikenard upon him he 
gave not only the highest, but greatly the highest, 
commendation he ever bestowed upon any human be- 
ing. — William Burnet Wright, The Heart of the Mas- 
ter, p. 1. 

“ She hath wrought a good work.” (Mk. 14:6.) Our 
Lord went on to brush aside the apparently benevolent 
and practical criticism that the ointment was wasted, 
and had been better employed in relieving the poor. 
He recognized the obligation to help them as a stand- 
ing one, but he also recognized that there was a place 
in Christian service for such forms of expressing 
Christian devotion as were, from the utilitarian point 
of view, quite useless. There is room in the Christian 
life for acts of devotion which are utterly “unprac- 
tical,” and are branded by loveless souls as waste. — 
Alex. McLaren, D. D., in S. S. Times. 

“To prepare me for my burial.” (Mt. 26:12.) She did 
not know that Jesus was to die, but love is prophetic. 
Intuitively she felt, what she could not have justified 
by reason nor defined as a conviction, that something 
was to happen to Jesus; she knew not what; she only 


24 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


knew that this was love’s opportunity. Thank God for 
the love that, not knowing what the morrow may bring 
forth, provides the alabaster box, and does not keep 
it too long ! — The Week of Our Lord’s Passion, p. 79. 

Mary’s reward . Even before she heard her Lord’s 
approval Mary had a great reward. For hers was a 
deed of splendid daring, and bravery is bliss. The 
anointing identified her with the cause of Christ. It 
was sure to bring upon herself, her sister, and her 
brother the implacable enmity of the powerful priest- 
hood, and it would probably be misreported by malig- 
nant and unscrupulous detractors as treason to Caesar. 
But she counted her weath, and she was not poor ; her 
life, and to those who love Christ best life is most 
precious, because of the ability it gives to serve him; 
her dear ones, and those most devoted to Christ are 
most certain to obey his command, ‘ 4 Love one another 
as I have loved you,” — these all she counted as sac- 
rifices willingly offered for Christ’s sake. To give all 
for him was her reward till even that was swallowed 
up by the beatitude of her Lord’s “Well done.” 

Wheresoever the gospel is preached . (Mt. 26:13.) 
Jesus’ last word was to promise immortal remem- 
brance to Mary’s “useless” act. It is striking to notice 
that the evangelists who record that promise do not 
tell her name, and that the one who tells her name does 
not record the promise. It matters little whether or 
not our services are connected with our names. It 
matters little who forgets, if he remembers. It harms 
us not though our names on earth are dark, and we 
have little praise of men and no fame, if our names 
are in the book of life and he who knows all things 
whispers to us : “I know thy works. ’ ’ — Alexander Mc- 
Laren, D. D., in S. S. Times. 


THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 25 


The worth of unmeasured love. Be not too severe 
in yonr condemnation of the complaint of Judas. Sup- 
pose the record read that Jesus refused the gift, and 
commanded the ointment to he sold, and the money 
given to the poor ; would you not have been one of those 
who approved? Who hut Mary, with her unbounded 
love that could not express itself in commonplace offer- 
ings, would have supposed that Jesus would accept 
the gift ? And who hut J esus would have done so, and 
made it minister, not to selfishness, hut to philan- 
thropy, and an illustration of the worth of the Gospel ? 
The complaint of Judas has found a million echoes, 
many of them uttered, but mistakenly, in the name of 
the Lord. Great love demands unique expression. 
Love is inventive of beautiful ways of revealing it- 
self. She whose brother Jesus had brought from the 
dead, should she give him a girdle or a pair of sandals ? 
These were the expressions of a commonplace affec- 
tion. But Mary’s love was deep as the grave from 
which her brother had come forth, pure as the alabaster 
of her vase, and fragrant as the ointment she poured 
on Jesus’ head. 

But even this does not account for those words of 
Jesus, “Wheresoever the Gospel shall be preached 
throughout the whole world, there also that which this 
woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial 
of her. ’ ’ These words can mean nothing less than that 
Mary’s gift had in it something akin to his own. — The 
Week of Our Lord’s Passion, pp. 79-80. 

A gift distinctively feminine. There was not a man in 
the apostolic group who would have conceived of such 
a gift as that of Mary. Peter would have moved a vote 
of thanks to Mary, and the appointment of a committee 
to determine the use of the proceeds of the ointment. 


26 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


We know wliat Judas would have done with it. An- 
drew would have voted to spend it for tracts or repairs 
on the church building. Mary understood that there 
are heart needs more compelling than those of mere 
utility. Good women are more apt than good men to 
discover such beautiful uses in apparent waste. 


Gbe Stor? of palm Sunba? 

BptU 2, 30 S. E>. 

So impressive an event as the triumphal entry of 
Jesus into Jerusalem readily found a place in the rec- 
ords of all the four Evangelists. According to the 
generally accepted chronology, this event occurred 
April 2, in the year 30 A. D., on what since has been 
popularly known as Palm Sunday. On this day, which 
ushered in Jesus’ last week, he and his disciples left 
Bethany, attended by a company of friends whose joy 
was increased by the Master’s preparations to ride 
into the city. That at last he was about to assert his 
kingship seemed manifest to all. The fact that he had 
bidden his disciples procure for him a lowly beast of 
burden, instead of the war-horse befitting a conquering 
monarch, did not trouble them; for they remembered 
that the prophet Zechariah had spoken of the King 
as coming ‘ 4 riding upon an ass, and a colt, the foal 
of an ass” (9:9). The disciples regarded the act of 
Jesus as the fulfillment of that prophecy. Before the 
procession had gone far, it was met by another com- 
pany, composed principally of Galileans, coming out 
from Jerusalem to meet him ; and, as they found Jesus 
and his party approaching, they greeted him with a 
royal salutation. Many had been drawn thither by a 
desire to see and honor the restorer of Lazarus, and 
the multitudes present who had witnessed that miracle 
bore glad testimony to the power of the wonder-work- 
ing Nazarene. Where the road led over the shoulder 
of Olivet the city of Jerusalem came into view, with the 
valley of the Kidron between. The appearance of 


28 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


Jerusalem from this point is most impressive. Jesus 
stopped, and looking down on the city, wept over its sin 
and its approaching calamities. The procession soon 
moved on, increasing in numbers and enthusiasm. The 
exultant throng carpeted the way with their garments 



and with branches torn from wayside trees. Thus es- 
corted by a happy and expectant company, Jesus en- 
tered J erusalem. The entire city was mightily stirred. 
His sudden and public appearance surprised and dis- 
concerted his enemies. Some of the Pharisees asked 
him to restrain the multitudes, but he refused, assert-* 


THE STORY OF PALM SUNDAY 


29 


ing that if these should remain silent the very stones 
would cry out. For the moment his enemies lost heart 
and declared that the whole world was at his feet. 
But at this hour of his complete triumph Jesus delib- 
erately resisted further homage. After visiting the 
temple and observing the general condition of affairs 
therein, he retired, late in the day, to the quiet of 
Bethany, and spent the night there in company with 
his disciples. 


THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY. 

On the morrow, when they drew nigh unto. Jerusalem, 
unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he 
sendeth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, “Go. your 
way into the village that is over against you, and straight- 
way as ye enter into it, ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt 
with her, whereon no man ever yet sat; loose him, and 
bring him. And if any one say unto you, ‘Why do ye this?’ 
say ye, ‘The Lord hath need of him; and straightway he 
will send him back hither.’ ” 

Now this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled, which 
was spoken through the prophet, saying, 

“Tell ye the daughter of Zion, 

Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, 

Meek, and riding upon an ass, 

And upon a colt the foal of an ass.” 

And they went away, and found a colt tied at the door 
without in the open street: and they loose him. And cer- 
tain of them that stood there said unto them, “What do 
ye, loosing the colt?” And they said unto them even as 
Jesus had said: and they let them go, and they brought 
the colt unto Jesus, and cast on him their garments; and 
he sat upon him. 

And the most part of the multitude spread their gar- 
ments upon the way; and others branches, which they had 
cut from the fields. And as he was drawing nigh, even 
at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude 
of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a 
loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen. 
And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, 


30 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


“Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is the King that 
cometh in the name of the Lord; Blessed is the kingdom 
that cometh, the kingdom of our father David: Hosanna! 
Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 

These things understood not his disciples at the first: 
but when Jesus was glorified then remembered they that 
these things were written of him and that they had done 
these things unto him. 

The multitude, therefore, that was with him when he 
called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the 
dead, bare witness. For this cause also the multitude went 
and met him, for that they heard that he had done this sign. 

And some of the Pharisees from the multitude said unto 
him, “Teacher, rebuke thy disciples. ,, 

And he answered and said, “I tell you that, if these shall 
hold their peace, the stones will cry out. ,, 

And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over 
it, saying, “If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the 
things which belong unto peace ! but now they are hid from 
thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, when thine 
enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee 
round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall dash thee 
to the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall 
not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou 
knewest not the time of thy visitation.” 

And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was 
stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 

And the multitude said, “This is the prophet, Jesus, from 
Nazareth of Galilee.” 

The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “Behold, 
how ye prevail nothing; lo, the world is gone after him.” 

And he entered into Jerusalem, into the temple; and when 
he had looked around about upon all things, it being now 
eventide, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. (His 
Last Week, pp. 5-6; Mt. 21:1-11; Mk. 11:1-11; Lk. 19:29- 
44; Jn. 12:12-19.) 

Palm Sunday. There is no other point in the entire 
life of Christ at which so many perplexing and unan- 
swerable questions crowd on the mind of the student as 
here. What would have happened if the inhabitants of 
Jerusalem, on this momentous day, had welcomed the 
Messiah, instead of rejecting him? Would he have 


THE STORY OF PALM SUNDAY 


31 


become their king and sat on the throne of the country? 
In that case, what would the Roman authorities have 
done? If he had thus reigned, instead of dying, how 
could he have atoned for the sin of the world? Dif- 
ficult as these questions are, we must hold that his of- 
fer of himself to his people as their Messiah was a 
genuine one ; and that the rejection of his offer plunged 
the country into guilt. Nevertheless, God was not 
mocked. The death of his son became the ransom of 
the world; and, when Jesus missed the throne of his 
fathers, he was treading the providential path to the 
throne of the universe. — Prof. James Stalker in S. S. 
Times. 

An Old Testament triumphal entry. (II Sam. 6.) 
The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem had its prototype 
in the triumphal procession which David led when he 
brought the Ark from its obscurity in the house of 
Obed-edom to a place of honor in the new capital of 
the united nation (I Chron. 15:25-28). 

The analogy is a very natural and fitting one. After 
seven and one-half years of reign at Hebron, David 
captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites, and thither 
moved the visible symbol of the presence of Jehovah. 
Songs and rejoicing accompanied the event. It is 
thought by many that three of the psalms may relate 
to this event. Psalm 101 is regarded as a reflection of 
the king’s consecration of himself and his official house- 
hold, and Psalm 15 as a solemn answer to the question 
what kind of man he should be who is to live in the 
city where God makes his abode. But more clearly 
than these Psalm 24 appears to echo the joy of the pro- 
cession itself, the challenge rung down from the walls 
of the Jebusite city, “Who is this King of Glory?” and 
the answering chorus from those in the procession, 


32 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


“Jehovah of hosts, he is the King of Glory . 9 9 It is this 
spirit which makes the 24th Psalm so fitting for the 
opening of a Palm Sunday service. 

The route of the triumphal procession. A modern 
traveler journeying from Bethany to Jerusalem may 
use any one of three roads, and it is altogether probable 
that these follow the lines of roads used in the time of 
Christ. One is a long circuit over the northern shoul- 
der of Mount Olivet and down through the valley that 
parts it from Mount Scopus. Another is a footpath 
over the summit of the Mount of Olives. A third road, 
the ancient caravan route, and manifestly the only one 
that fulfills the conditions of that traveled by Jesus on 
his last journey, is a continuation of the road from 
Jericho, and is that by which, at the present day, 
mounted travelers from that direction approach the 
city. It leads over the southern shoulder of Olivet be- 
tween the summit and the hill called the Mount of 
Offense. 

At the Mount of Olives. (Mk. 11:1.) A half mile or 
more east of Jerusalem, and directly opposite the 
temple area, rises the Mount of Olives, or Mount 
Olivet. Adjacent to it on the north is Mount Scopus, 
where Titus encamped when he besieged Jerusalem. 
Joining it on the south is the Mount of Offense, so 
called because Solomon there instituted pagan wor- 
ship for his concubines. The elevation of Olivet above 
the sea is 2,682 feet and it is 259 feet higher than 
Moriah, the site of the temple. Between Olivet and 
Moriah is the Kidron Valley, formerly known as the 
Valley of Jehoshaphat. 

The view from the summit of Olivet is one of the 
most interesting and impressive within the limits of 
the Holy Land. Southward the range of vision ex- 


THE STORY OF PALM SUNDAY 


33 


tends to Hebron; northward one may see the hills of 
Samaria; westward every object on the plateau of 
J erusalem stands out with startling distinctness ; while 
to the east is an unequalled panoramic view of the 
rugged wilderness, the Jordan valley, nearly 4,000 feet 
below, with portions of the Dead Sea, and the clearly 
cut outlines of the mountains of Moab and Gilead. 

Today Olivet is covered with many ruins. Tradi- 
tional sites are numerous. On the summit is a lofty 
Greek church tower and the so-called Mosque of the 
Ascension. On the slope facing the Holy City are 
thousands of Hebrew graves, including some extensive 
rock-hewn tombs. At its foot, in the valley of the 
Kidron, lies the Garden of Gethsemane. Olive, fig and 
other trees, singly or in clumps, are growing here and 
there upon its slopes. 

Some of the most touching scenes in our Lord’s min- 
istry occurred on the slopes of Olivet, and the thought 
of it as the place where he nightly fortified himself for 
each trying day of his Passion Week makes it holy 
ground to all his followers. 

The village over against you . (Mt. 21:2.) There is 
little doubt that the village mentioned in the narra- 
tive as Bethphage was the one where the disciples bor- 
rowed the colt for Jesus to ride upon. Bethphage 
means “house of figs.” Its exact location is unknown, 
but it was evidently near Bethany. Dean Alford, how- 
ever, following Talmudical authorities, speaks of Beth- 
phage as “a considerable suburb, nearer to Jerusalem 
than Bethany, and sometimes reckoned part of the 
city.” 

“The Lord hath need of him.” (Mk. 11:3.) It is 
good to know that in this and in other instances where 
the Lord had need, he was able to send to a friend who 


34 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


had what he needed, and who was willing to supply 
what Jesus requested. 

The procuring of the ass. It is the opinion of some 
writers that the Synoptists represent J esus as miracu- 
lously procuring the ass, an idea which is certainly 
not found in John’s narrative. In the message 
that “the Lord has need of it,” it is implied that the 
owner would know who was meant by this designation ; 
in other words it is implied that he was a friend of 
Jesus (Mk. 11:3; Mt. 21:3; Lk. 19:31). Therefore 
it is not necessary to hold that the Synoptists regarded 
the securing of the ass as miraculous. 

“He will send him back.” (Mk. 11:3.) According 
to Mark’s account, this would seem to be not a predic- 
tion that the owner of the colt would be willing to 
lend it, but the promise of Jesus for its safe return. 

He saw the city and wept. (Lk. 19:41.) As a west- 
bound traveler rounds the southern slope of Olivet 
a rise and turn in the road brings to his view the city 
of J erusalem in all its grandeur. Even at the present 
day the sight is an impressive one, but much more so 
must it have been in Jesus’ day, when Herod’s temple 
rested, like a crown of gold and ivory, on the brow of 
the Holy City. It was a sight to move the Master to 
tears as he meditated upon the city’s coming doom, 
which he here foretold and repeated, two days later, 
with greater attention to detail. 

Psalms and tears. (Lk. 19:29-44.) That might 
have seemed the proudest moment in the life of Jesus, 
the moment when the homage of man was most spon- 
taneous and most real ; but in truth it was one of the 
saddest. The enthusiasm only deepened his solitude, 
made it more awful to his spirit, while throwing upon 
the coming events a more tragic coloring. Their 


THE STOEY OF PALM SUNDAY 


35 


praise was pain, for what they praised was the idol 
of their own imaginations, not the Christ who was com- 
ing to suffer and to die. In the midst of their joy he 
rode, possessed of the vivid consciousness that the dis- 
covery of the truth would change their jubilant cry of 
welcome into the delirious shout of passion and re- 
venge. So, as they swept round the shoulder of the 
hill, and the city hurst upon his view, turreted, temple- 
crowned, lying white and radiant in the glorious sun- 
light, hallowed by a thousand sacred memories, dark- 
ened by a thousand sins, the pathos of the place and the 
moment, the then and the to be, the ideal and the actual, 
the men and the city as they seemed and as they were, 
was more than his heart could bear, and he wept, say- 
ing, “If thou hadst known, at least in this thy day, the 
things which belong unto thy peace ! but now they are 
hid from thine eyes.” — Fairbairn, Studies in the Life 
of Christ, pp. 231, 232. 

The tears of Jesus. It is little wonder to us that 
Christ wept over the city. Beautiful as a dream of 
heaven it lay below him in the sunlight of that Syrian 
April. An early Spring it was, for fig trees already 
were in leaf and some of them with fruit. The drought 
had not yet dried up the watercourses, which glittered 
below like ribbons of silver. The light lay in rich tints 
of green on palm and olive and fresh young grass. 
But down among the olives was Gethsemane, and yon- 
der beyond the temple was Pilate’s judgment hall. 
Aye, and underneath the green crest of the hill to the 
north of the city, stood out a rocky hill with hollow, 
cavernous rocks that gave the shuddering, sepulchral 
name to Golgotha. — The Week of Our Lord’s Passion, 
p. 85. 

The most part of the multitude. (Mt. 21:8, 9.) In 


36 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


the triumphal entry we seem to see a gleam once more 
of the enthusiasm which had followed the feeding of 
the five thousand. It was probably quite as superficial. 
We may imagine the crowd made up in part of those 
who had been impressed by recent teaching beyond the 
Jordan or in Jerusalem itself, or by the news of the 
still more striking miracle wrought upon Lazarus ; be- 
sides these, there would doubtless be a contingent of 
pilgrims from more distant Galilee, the remnant of the 
crowds who had at one time or another followed Jesus 
there. But it would be too much to expect that all, 
or even many of these, had acquired an intelligent in- 
sight into the character of him whom they were cheer- 
ing. They were still in the twilight of their old Jew- 
ish expectations. They supposed that the moment had 
at last come when the hopes which they cherished would 
be realized, and when, before the crowds assembled for 
the passover, Jesus would at last put himself forward 
as the leader for whom they were waiting. Nothing, 
however, came of this seeming appeal to their en- 
thusiasm. A few discourses in the temple, partly 
leveled against the religious authorities they were most 
accustomed to reverence, but containing not a word of 
incitement against the Romans, and that was all. 
What wonder if their enthusiasm died away, and if, in 
some of the fiercer among them, it changed to bitter 
and angry disappointment !— Hastings, Diet, of Bible, 
vol. ii, p. 632. 

They that went before and they that followed. (Mk. 
11:9.) But now the people in the Valley of Kidron, 
and about the walls of Jerusalem, and the pilgrims 
whose booths and tents stood so thickly on the green 
slopes below, had caught sight of the approaching com- 
pany, and heard the echo of the glad shouts, and knew 


THE STORY OF PALM SUNDAY 


37 


what the commotion meant. At that time the palms 
were numerous in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, 
though now but a few remain ; and tearing down their 
green and graceful branches, the people streamed up 
the road to meet the approaching Prophet. And when 
the two streams of people met — those who had accom- 
panied him from Bethany, and those who had come to 
meet him from Jerusalem — they left him riding in the 
midst, and some preceding, some following him, ad- 
vanced, shouting “Hosannas” and waving branches, to 
the gate of Jerusalem. — Farrar, Life of Christ, p. 503. 

Branches cut from the fields . (Mk. 11:8.) Early 
and late historians cite many instances where the path 
of a conqueror has been strewn with flowers and leaves. 
Herodotus records that when Xerxes was passing over 
the bridge of the Hellespont the way before him was 
strewn with branches of myrtle. Quintus Curtius tells 
of the scattering of flowers in the way before Alexander 
the Great, when he entered Babylon. Monier, in our 
own day, saw the way of a Persian ruler strewed with 
roses for three miles. John distinctly states that palm- 
branches were similarly used in this popular demon- 
stration accorded to Jesus. Such, doubtless was the 
case, as the palm was formerly abundant in the Jordan 
valley. No palms are now found on the slope of the 
Mount of Olives, where they flourished in the time of 
Christ. 

The palm as a symbol. The palm tree, once 
abundant in the well-watered parts of Palestine, 
was early associated with the religious festivals of the 
Jews. As far back as the days of Moses, the people 
were commanded to use branches of the palm, to- 
gether with other “goodly” trees, in constructing their 
booths for the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:40; Neh. 


38 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


8:15). Representations, also, of the palm-tree were 
used by the Hebrews in architectural decoration (I 
Kings 6: 29; Ezek. 41:18-26). The use of the palm 
as an emblem was common in Bible times, the Old 
Testament using it as a figure of speech for prosperity, 
righteousness and grace of figure (Ps. 92:12; Cant. 
7:7). In Rev. 7 :9 it is used as a symbol of triumph; 
the redeemed standing before the throne, robed in 
white and with palms in their hands. The use of the 
palm in the triumphal entry adds even greater sancti- 
ty and beauty to this sacred emblem. The palm ap- 
pears in very early Christian art and is still one of the 
most constant, as well as appropriate, of Christian 
symbols. 

Spread their garments upon the way. (Mk. 11:8.) 
To spread one’s outer garment as a carpet in the path 
of an approaching conqueror or distinguished per- 
sonage has ever been considered a superlative act of 
homage. 

Jehu, when the officers of the army of Israel chose 
him as their ruler, walked on the garments which they 
spread beneath his feet (2 Kings 9:13). Agamemnon, 
tempted to an act of barbaric pomp, after the manner 
of eastern kings, entered his palace at Mycenae walk- 
ing upon costly carpets (^Eschylus, Agam. 891). So 
in later history the young Sir Walter Raleigh, when 
Queen Elizabeth came to a miry part in the road, took 
off his new and costly plush mantle and spread it on 
the ground for the queen to walk over. 

A similar custom, carried to a questionable extreme, 
is performed annually between Beirut and Damascus, 
when the chief sheik returns from the Mecca pilgrim- 
age. Several hundred men lie down close together in 
the road, with faces to the ground, while the rider on 


THE STORY OF PALM SUNDAY 


39 


his Arabian mare paces slowly and carefully over their 
bodies. Fortunately, injuries seldom result, as each 
man bears but for a moment the pressure of one hoof. 

The pathos of the procession. We cannot fail to 
note the pathetically poverty-stricken pomp of the pro- 
cession, and the meaning of the entry. Certainly never 
was such a royal progress as this — the King on a bor- 
rowed ass, the subjects with no gifts to fling before him 
or ornaments to deck his path but their own well-worn 
robes and the leafy branches torn from the wayside 
trees. Here was no emperor, standing proudly in his 
battle chariot, or mounted on his trampling war- 
charger, but a peasant on a slow-pacing gentle colt. 
Here were no ranks of soldiers, but a crowd of unarmed 
followers. Here were no gauds or display of wealth, 
but humble tributes of garments and branches strewed 
in the way. Here was no blare of trumpets, but 
shrill voices chanting fragments of ancient psalms. 
A strange manner of king, and as strange a manner of 
subjects and servants. — Alexander McLaren, D. D., in 
S. S. Times. 

“Hosanna to the son of David.” (Mk. 11:11.) 
“Hosanna” is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew 
words, “Save, we pray!” in the sense that loyal sub- 
jects nowadays say, “God save the king!” A royal 
salutation was due Jesus as the natural inheritor of 
the promises made to David (II Sam. 7 :12-16 ; I Chron. 
17 :10-14). The multitudes were quoting the Messianic 
sentiment expressed in Ps. 118:25, 26. 

‘ ‘ The son of David. ’ 9 ( Mt. 21:9.) This was the first 
occasion on which our Lord distinctly put forth his 
claim to royalty. From the beginning of his ministry, 
the Saviour had been proclaiming “the gospel of the 
kingdom”; but when we examine carefully all he says 


40 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


about it, we find that he never expressly asserts that 
he himself is King. Not that he conceals the all-im- 
portant truth : he speaks of the kingdom in such a way 
that those who have ears to hear may learn that he is 
King himself — as, for instance, when he says, * i Suf- 
fer the litle children to come unto me, and forbid them 
not : for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” One might 
quite readily infer from these words that Jesus himself 
was King ; but the claim is not thereby formally made. 

Besides, not only is it true that up to this time he did 
not formally assume the royal title, but he even re- 
sisted attempts made to thrust it upon him (e. g., Jn. 
6:15). His unerring wisdom taught him that he must 
reach his throne by another path than that of popular 
favor. Rather must it be through popular rejection — 
through the dark portals of despite and death ; and for 
that, his hour had not then come. 

Now it has come. He had been steadily advancing to 
Jerusalem for the very purpose of accomplishing that 
decease which is to be the portal of his royalty. Al- 
ready fully revealed as prophet, he is about to be made 
“perfect through suffering” as our great High Priest. 
It is time, therefore, that he revealed himself as King, 
so that no one may have it afterwards to say that he 
never really claimed the throne of his father David. — 
Gibson, Expos. Bible, Matthew, pp. 295-297. 

“Tell ye the daughter of Zion .” (Mt. 21:5.) The 
words seem to have been cited from memory, the He- 
brew text of Zech. 9:9 beginning, “Rejoice greatly, 0 
daughter of Zion; shout, 0 daughter of Jerusalem,” 
and inserting, “just, and having salvation,” in the de- 
scription of the King. As the words stand in Zech- 
ariah (we need not here discuss the question as to the 
authorship or composition of that book), they paint 


THE STORY OF PALM SUNDAY 


41 


the ideal king coming, not with “chariot” and 
“horse” and “battle bow,” like the conquerors of 
earthly kingdoms, but as a prince of peace, reviving the 
lowlier pageantry of the* days of the Judges, and yet 
exercising a wider dominion than David or Solomon 
had done, “from sea to sea, and from the river 
(Euphrates) to the ends of the earth.” That ideal our 
Lord claimed to fulfil. Thus interpreted, his act was 
in part an apparent concession to the fevered expecta- 
tions of his disciples and the multitude ; in part also a 
protest, the meaning of which they would afterwards 
understand, against the character of those expecta- 
tions and the self-seeking spirit which mingled with 
them. Here, as before, we trace the grave, sad accom- 
modation to thoughts other than his own, to which the 
Teacher of new truths must often have recourse when 
he finds himself misinterpreted by those who stand al- 
together on a lower level. They wished him to claim 
the kingdom, that they might sit on his right hand and 
on his left. Well, he would do so, but it would be a 
kingdom “not of this world,” utterly unlike all that 
they were looking for. — Plumptre, Handy Commen- 
tary, Matthew, pp. 297, 298. 

“Blessed is the King that cometh.” (Lk. 19:38.) 
Among the Arabs, even to the present day, this phrase 
is preserved in its Syriac form, Mar-ha-ha (Blessed is 
the coming one!). This salutation is used when 
travelers meet and pass in peace upon the highway. 
The conventional response is, Mar-habtein (May you 
be doubly blessed!). 

That it might he fulfilled. (Mt. 21 :4.) Every devout 
Jew in Jesus’ day attached great importance to 
prophecy and its fulfillment. The prophecy which 
Jesus evidently had in mind in choosing the manner 


"42 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


of his entry into Jerusalem was one which the Jewish 
people had long associated with the coming of their 
Messianic King. It is found in Zech. 9 :9, 10, and reads : 

Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion; 

Shout, 0 daughter of Jerusalem: 

Behold, thy king cometh unto thee: 

He is just, and having salvation ; 

Lowly, and riding upon an ass, 

Even upon a colt the foal of an ass. 

And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim 
And the horse from Jerusalem, 

And the battle bow shall be cut off ; 

And he shall speak peace unto the nations : 

And his dominion shall be from sea to sea, 

And from the River to the ends of the earth. 

A second Old Testament prophecy, also, had its ful- 
fillment at this time (Isa. 62:11) : 

Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of 
the earth, 

Say ye to the daughter of Zion, 

Behold, thy salvation cometh; 

Behold, his reward is with him, 

And his recompence before him. 

“The prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Mt. 
21:11.) This demonstration in honor of Jesus seems 
to have been largely a provincial one, and the numerous 
Galileans present, with characteristic local pride, took 
pleasure in pointing out that the hero of the day was of 
their province. 

The zeal of Galilee. Galilee was the most turbulent 
district of Palestine. The north margin of that prov- 
ince was a hunting-ground infested by wild beasts. 


THE STORY OF PALM SUNDAY 


43 


In it bandits and desperadoes found refuge from the 
laws they defied. The southern part of the region was 
peopled by a hardy race pre-eminent for strength, 
valor, and patriotism. In rancorous hatred of foreign 
domination they surpassed all other Israelites. In 
them Herod the Great encountered the most formidable 
obstacle to his usurpation. To subjugate them strained 
his resources and required all his rare military genius. 
It was only by incessant watchfulness that Rome suc- 
ceeded in keeping them under her yoke. They supplied 
all Judaea with the leaven of insurrection. The powder 
for every political explosion from the time of Pompey 
to that of Titus was manufactured in Galilee. Gali- 
leans were the inciters and leaders in most of these up- 
risings which threatened Roman supremacy, and in 
all of them Galilean influence was efficient. Pilate had 
already crushed in the bud one outbreak, or at least 
thought he had, by the slaughter of certain Galileans, 
to whom he attributed its origin. They had come to 
Jerusalem nominally, perhaps really, on a purely 
religious mission, and, we may be confident, he had 
been drawn thither at this passover time by appre- 
hensions of some similar disturbance. — William Bur- 
net Wright, The Heart of the Master, pp. 20, 21. 

He entered into Jerusalem. (Mk. 11:11.) Jerusa- 
lem, the chief city of Palestine, was once the capital of 
the ancient united kingdom of Israel and Judah. The 
earliest Biblical reference to the city is in Gen. 14 :18. 
Excavations on the banks of the Nile have brought 
to light clay tablets, the inscriptions upon which show 
that as far back as the fifteenth century before Christ 
Jerusalem was a city of considerable importance. The 
place is there referred to as Uru-Salim (“The City of 
the God of Peace”), from which has come the name 
Jerusalem. 


44 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


The city lies high up on the great mountain ridge that 
runs north and south through central Palestine. It 
has an elevation of more than 2,500 feet above the 
Mediterranean, and is 3,800 feet above the Dead Sea. 
In a direct line it is thirty-two miles east from the 
Mediterranean Sea and twenty-two miles west from 
the river Jordan. 

Jerusalem is a walled city, with seven gates and 
thirty-four towers. The walls rise abruptly from the 
edge of the hill, and are 38J feet in height. 

It is built upon four heights, Mount Moriah in the 
southeast, the traditional Mount Zion in the south- 
west, Acra in the northwest, and Bezetha in the north- 
east. The Tyropceon Valley, running southwest, then 
due south, separates three of these elevations. On the 
east runs the deep, rapidly descending Kidron Valley, 
also called the Valley of Jeshoshaphat. It reaches a 
depth of nearly 450 feet below the level of the streets 
of Zion. On the west is the broader valley of Hinnom, 
which, turning east, runs south of the city at a depth 
of over 300 feet below the streets of Zion. The lower 
portion of this valley is also called Gehenna. 

The Jerusalem of our day may be considered the 
eighth city erected on the present site, for before the 
time of David there was a city there ; the second was 
the city of Solomon; the third, that of Nehemiah; then 
came the magnificent city of Herod ; then the Roman 
city, which grew on the ruins Titus had made ; it was 
followed by the Mohammedan city; and that again by 
a Christian city; and now for six hundred years the 
modern city has stood on the ruins of those that pre- 
ceded it. 

The present population of Jerusalem is about 60,000, 
half of whom are impoverished Jewish immigrants 


THE STOBY OF PALM SUNDAY 


45 


from America and Europe. Little manufacturing is 
done in tlie city, and the principal foreign commerce 
is that carried on with visiting tourists, who number 
thousands annually. There is little to attract permanent 
settlers, yet the price of land in the immediate vicinity 
of the city is high, varying from $250 to $7,000 an acre. 

The Golden Gate . On the eastern wall of Jerusalem, 
within the temple area, stands the Golden Gate, on the 
traditional site of the gate of the triumphal entry. 
The present walls of Jerusalem are comparatively 
modern, and this gate was erected in the fifth century 
A. D. Soon after the Crusades it was walled up to 
keep the Christians out. This gate, so divided as to 
provide an ingress by one passage and an egress by 
the other, made provision for a vast concourse of peo- 
ple. When in use, this gate was much more magnifi- 
cently adorned with columns and carved slabs than any 
of the present gates. The Mohammedans have a tradi- 
tion that on some Friday a Christian conqueror will 
enter through this gate, the Moslem regime will end, 
and the city fall before the conquering Christian 
Prince. 

The significance of the triumphal entry . The 
triumphal entry was a proclamation of Jesus as the 
Messiah. Such a proclamation he had stedfastly re- 
fused to make. On his last previous visit to Jerusalem, 
at the end of December, he had refused to declare 
himself in answer to the demand of the Jews (Jn. 10:/ 
22-27). He had told his disciples only a few months be- 
fore but had charged them not to tell (Mt. 16 :20). The 
disciples could not understand why he wished them to 
conceal this important information, and were eager for 
Jesus to declare himself. The triumphal entry was the 
fulfillment of their long cherished hope. Jesus rode 


46 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


into Jerusalem in the manner which the people be- 
lieved would characterize the coming of the Messiah. 
It was his declaration that he was King. It was his 
challenge to the priests and scribes to do their worst. 

Jesus directed the preparations. Instead of avoid- 
ing their search for him or rebuking their Messianic 
mood, as he had previously done, he allowed himself 
to be made the hero of the occasion. He had even, it 
would appear, made provision for a triumphal entry 
into the Holy City. He had hitherto restrained Mes- 
sianic enthusiasm, because the nation had shown itself 
unripe for it; but now delay was impossible, the final 
issue being so near ; and he could no longer keep back 
the public acknowledgment of what he knew himself 
to be, or the challenge to the nation and the capital to 
accept him whom Jehovah had sent. Not, indeed, as a 
conqueror or emperor would he enter the capital, on a 
war-horse or followed by armed men, but meek and 
lowly, as the Prince of Peace, and, as had been foretold 
in an ancient oracle, riding on an ass. — Prof. James 
Stalker in S. S. Times. 

Significance of the Messianic entry. The time for 
reserve had passed. The mass of the people with their 
leaders had shown clearly that for his truth, and him- 
self as bearer of it, they had no liking; while the few 
had become attached to him sufficiently to warrant the 
supreme test of their faith. He could not continue longer 
his efforts to win the people, for both Galilee and Judea 
were closed to him. Even if he had been content, with- 
out contradicting popular ideas, to work wonders and 
proclaim promises of coming good, he could with dif- 
ficulty have continued this work, for Herod had al- 
ready been regarding him with suspicion (Lk. 13:31). 
He had run his course and must measure strength with 


THE STORY OF PALM SUNDAY 


47 


the hostile forces in J erusalem. For the last encounter 
he assumed the aggressive, and entered the city as its 
promised deliverer, the Prince of Peace. The very 
method of his Messianic proclamation was a challenge 
of current Jewish ideas, for they were not looking for 
so meek and peaceful a leader as Zechariah had con- 
ceived ; this entrance emphasized the old contradiction 
between Jesus and his people’s expectations. He ac- 
cepted the popular welcome with full knowledge of the 
transitoriness of the present enthusiasm. — Rhees, Life 
of Jesus, pp. 170, 171. 

The entry a deliberate challenge . Everything points 
to the fact that Jesus deliberately used the enthusiasm 
of the multitude for the purpose of his entry into 
Jerusalem, intending to make it the means of a public 
proclamation of his Messianic claim. That proclama- 
tion was necessary, because men must understand 
definitely the issue that he made. The acceptance of 
him as King, and not merely as prophet, was what he 
demanded. And in the events which followed, it im- 
mediately became apparent that the question thus 
raised was not only a question of his personal claim, 
but of the nature of his kingdom. The multitude who 
followed him thought that, with the announcement of 
the claim, the program would change. But the un- 
changed program meant that Jesus, just as he was, 
claimed kingship, and would be King only by spiritual 
enforcements. — Gould, Internat. Crit. Com., Mark, p. 
206. 

i( Behold, how ye prevail nothing ” (Jn. 12:19) 
The impression made, by the public entry, on the hostile 
hierarchy must have been overwhelming. While they 
were decreeing that his place of abode should be sought 
out (Jn. 11:57), thinking that he would hereafter keep 


48 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


himself concealed from them, J esns entered J erusalem 
surrounded by the whole people, and before their very 
eyes permitted himself to be honored as the Messianic 
King. Well may the Pharisees have gnashed their 
teeth and said : Behold how ye prevail nothing ; lo, the 
world is gone after him (Jn. 12:19) ! — Weiss, Life of 
Christ, vol. iii, p. 231. 

“Lo, the world is gone after him!" (Jn. 12:19.)^- 
In their surprise, which approached the proportions 
of a panic, the priests overestimated the real strength 
of the demonstration. But they were not far from 
right. The world is going after him. The triumphal 
procession lengthens. The whole world is yet to fol- 
low him, and he will come to his own. 

Hase calls attention to the audacity of the whole 
transaction. Jesus and his disciples were under the 
ban of the hierarchy. The Sanhedrin had issued a 
decree that if any one knew where he was, he should 
give information, that they might arrest him (Jn. 11: 
57). And yet here are his disciples bringing him in 
triumph into Jerusalem, and the populace enthusias- 
tically joining with them. Moreover, all this had been 
arranged by J esus himself, when he sent for the colt. 
What he had hitherto concealed, or obscurely indicated, 
or revealed only to a chosen few, he now, seeing that 
the fulness of time is come, makes known to the whole 
world. He publicly claims to be the Messiah. This 
triumphal procession is the Holy One of God making 
solemn entry into the Holy City. —Plummer, Internat. 
Crit. Com., Luke, p. 448. 

All the city was stirred. (Mt. 21:10.) The Greek 
word is frequently used of some violent incident in 
nature, as in Mt. 27 :51 and 28 :4 when it is rendered 
“quake.” It is the trembling of intense excitement. 


THE STORY OF PALM SUNDAY 


49 


Jesus entered into the temple of God. (Mt. 21:12.) 
Probably only into the outer courts. The term temple 
was popularly applied to the entire structure and in- 
closure. 

Re looked round on all things. (Mk. 11:11.) Mat- 
thew ’s account would lead us to suppose that the cleans- 
ing of the temple occurred on the day of the triumphal 
entry ; but Mark makes it evident that on Sunday Jesus 
took no aggressive action. He looked about, and it 
being now late in the afternoon, he returned to 
Bethany. 

Re went out unto Bethany. (Mk. 11 :11.) The state- 
ment by Mark that Jesus went out to Bethany with 
the twelve on Sunday evening is supplemented by the 
same evangelist by the statement at the close of the 
work of Monday that “ every evening he went forth 
out of the city” (Mk. 11:19). On Tuesday evening 
4 4 he sat on the Mount of Olives over against the tem- 
ple” on the way from Jerusalem to Bethany (Mt. 24 :3 ; 
Mk. 13:3). On Thursday he is in Bethany, and goes 
from there to the celebration of the Passover. It is 
practically certain that he lodged in Bethany on the 
nights of Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday 
and Wednesday. 

f^The continuous entry. And he still comes, and shall 
come. With every triumph of purity and righteous- 
ness, with the opening of the barred gate to every dark 
heart, with the opening of every new kingdom to the 
Gospel, his coming is with more and more of glory, 
and evermore shall be until the world not only goes 
after him, but finds him and crowns him as its Lord 
and King. — The Week of Our Lord’s Passion, p. 88. 

Palm Sunday customs. The Sunday before Easter 
is commonly observed with appropriate ceremonies by 


50 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


Greek and Roman Catholic, and certain Lutheran, 
churches throughout the world. In Catholic churches 
sprays from the palm-tree are blessed by the priest 
and distributed among the congregation, who wear 
them for the rest of the day. In countries where the 
palm is not obtainable, branches of other trees, such 
as the willow, yew, box and fir, are substituted. In 
some localities it is customary to gather the palms and 
later burn them, the ashes being preserved for use up- 
on a subsequent Ash Wednesday. The palmers of the 
Middle Ages received their name from the fact that 
on returning from the Holy Land they brought hack 
leaves from the palm-tree, or crosses made from its 
branches, in token of their visit to sacred spots. These 
souvenirs were afterwards used at Palm Sunday 
services. 


Sbe Stors of flDonba? 

aptii 3, 30 a. ©. 

The quiet town of Bethany proved a suitable rest- 
ing-place for Jesus after the unusual excitement of 
Palm Sunday; but, eager to carry out his Father’s 
will, he left the village at an early hour, on the follow- 
ing morning, and returned to Jerusalem in company 
with his disciples. He had set out from Bethany ap- 
parently without breakfast, and seeing a fig-tree by 
the wayside had hoped to satisfy his hunger with some 
of the early fruit of which its abundant foliage gave 
promise; but, on approaching the tree, it was discov- 
ered to have borne no figs. Jesus pronounced a judg- 
ment upon the tree for being barren while exhibiting 
complete evidence of fruitfulness, and, in so doing, re- 
buked the hypocrisy which the tree symbolized. He 
and the disciples moved on, but, next morning, as they 
again passed that way, the disciples saw that the tree 
had withered. They were impressed by this miracle 
of destruction, but Jesus wisely turned the lesson to 
one on faith in prayer. 

On reaching Jerusalem, our Lord, for the second 
time, vigorously set to work to cleanse the temple of 
its defilers. This he had done at the beginning of his 
ministry, but the abuses had crept back. Under pre- 
tense of keeping the letter of the law, and giving to 
the treasury no money save the sacred shekel, a system 
of money exchange had been established in one of the 
outer courts. For the convenience of those who would 
offer doves and other animals in sacrifice, covetous 
dealers had been permitted to establish their stalls and 


52 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


bring their cages within the area of the temple. Jesns 
drove these forth, the popular conscience proving his 
ally, and no one questioned his right. The people ap- 
proved the act, and the priests dared not challenge it. 
A vivid contrast to the merciless practices of the 
money-changers followed, when Jesus healed the lame 
and blind who sought him in the purified temple. 
When the ecclesiastical authorities witnessed these 
miracles and saw him permitting children to sing his 
praises in the temple and to hail him as the coming 
King, they were moved with rage at conduct which 
they considered so blasphemous. Nor were they ap- 
peased when Jesus defended his position with quota- 
tions from the Psalms of David. But they were power- 
less at that time to carry out plans for his destruction, 
because the great mass of the common people 4 4 all 
hung upon him, listening.’ ’ When, at last, the busy 
day closed, Jesus was still Master of the temple. As 
evening drew on, he left the adoring crowd and re- 
turned to Bethany, his lodging-place through Passion 
Week. 


THE CURSING OF THE FIG TREE. 

And on the morrow, when they were come out from Beth- 
any, as he returned to the city, he hungered. And seeing a 
fig tree afar off by the wayside, having leaves, he came, if 
haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came 
to it, he found nothing but leaves ; for it was not the season 
of figs. And he answered and said unto it, “No man eat 
fruit from thee henceforward for ever. ,, 

And his disciples heard it. (His Last Week, p. 7: Mt 
21 :18-19a; Mk. 11:12-14.) 

He hungered. (Mt. 21:18.) Although Jesus, as we 
know, spent the night following Palm Sunday in 
Bethany, it is quite certain that he did not seek the 


THE STORY OF MONDAY 


53 


hospitality of Lazarus ’ household, or, if he did, that 
he left there before breakfast ; otherwise, he would not 
have hungered on the way to Jerusalem, the follow- 
ing morning. Throughout his life Jesus was accus- 
tomed to retire frequently to some lonely spot, often 
a mountain-side, and there spend many hours, or even 
the whole night, in prayer (Mk. 1:35; Lk. 6:12). 
Knowing well what was to befall him shortly, it is not 
unreasonable to suppose that he passed this Sunday 
night in prayer upon the hillslope outside Bethany, 
seeking the city before breakfast that he might be in 
readiness for all the people who “came early in the 
morning to him in the temple to hear him.” 

Seeing a fig-tree . (Mt. 21:19.) Fig-trees must have 
been numerous in that locality, for Bethphage (“house 
of figs,” or “fig-town”) was close by. The fig is a 
native of India. It has always flourished in the Levant, 
where its fruit in the fresh state, and still more in the 
dried, forms an important article of food. 

Nothing hut leaves . (Mt. 21 : 19.) Jesus, always the 
most reasonable of men, never expected the impos- 
sible. If “it was not the season of figs,” he certainly 
would not curse a tree for failing to produce fresh 
fruit “on demand”; therefore, in order not to ques- 
tion Mark’s veracity, some exegetes have maintained 
that what Jesus expected to find was the left-over figs 
from the previous season. 

This explanation may be dismissed at once. No 
such figs remain over until spring in Palestine, and 
a tree growing by the roadside near to a large city 
would be the last place where it would have been rea- 
sonable to expect to find them. If any figs had re- 
mained through the winter they would not have been 
good. The following is the true explanation : 


54 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


In southern Palestine the fig tree puts forth its leaf- 
buds sometimes as early as February, and the fruit 
appears simultaneously with or even a few days in 
advance of, the leaf. These grow together till the 
fruit is perhaps as large as a cherry ; but the precocious 
figs are commonly shaken off by spring storms, and 
the real crop of figs follows later. The editor of this 
book plucked from the tree, and ate, a Palestine fig, 
about three weeks earlier in the spring than the time 
of the cursing of the fig tree. In the spring of 1906 
these early figs were for sale in Jerusalem at Easter 
time, and there were others on the trees late in April. 
These figs cannot he called good, and they seldom 
ripen; hut the natives sometimes eat them with salt, 
or pluck them by the way to stay their hunger. 

These early figs are called by the natives “nefful” 
or “tuksh” and are commonly all off the trees before 
the appearance of the buds of the very good figs, which 
are called “defur.” There is a third crop ripening 
later and of inferior quality to the second, called 
“teen.” The “nefful” are as near maturity about 
Easter as they usually get; the “defur” ripen about 
the middle of June; the “teen” or common figs ripen 
in August. 

The tree which Jesus saw was in full leaf, while 
some other trees were not so forward. Its foliage 
was a proclamation that it had early fruit if it ever 
was to have any. Thus the parable was a warning 
against profession without performance, and a rebuke 
to his own nation, which the fruitless tree typified. 

The reason for cursing the fig tree . (Mt. 21 :18-22.) 
Christ did not attribute moral responsibilities to the 
tree, when he smote it because of its unfruitfulness, 
but he did attribute to it a fitness for representing 


THE STORY OF MONDAY 


55 


moral qualities. All our language concerning trees, a 
good tree, a bad tree, a tree which ought to bear, is 
exactly the same continual transfer to them of moral 
qualities, and a witness for the natural fitness of the 
Lord’s language — the language indeed of an act, rather 
than of words. He did not, like Moses and Elijah, 
make the assertion of God’s holiness and his hatred 
of evil at the cost of many lives, but only at the cost of 
a single unfeeling tree. His miracles of mercy were 
unnumbered, and on men ; his miracle of judgment was 
but one, and on a tree. It was punished not for being 
without fruit, but for proclaiming by the voice of those 
leaves that it had such — not for being barren, but for 
being false. 

And this was the guilt of Israel, a guilt so much 
deeper than the guilt of the nations. The other trees 
had nothing, but they did not pretend to have any- 
thing ; this tree had nothing, but it gave out that it had 
much. So was it severally with Gentile and with J ew. 
The Gentiles were bare of all fruits of righteousness, 
but they owned it; the Jews were bare, but they 
vaunted that they were full. — Trench, Notes on the 
Miracles, pp. 345-349. 

THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE. 

And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus entered into 
the temple of God, and began to cast out them that sold 
and them that bought in the temple, and overthrew the 
tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that 
sold the doves: and he would not suffer that any man 
should carry a vessel through the temple. And he taught, 
and said unto them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be 
called a house of prayer for all the nations’? but ye have 
made it a den of robbers.” 

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple ; 
and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the 
scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the chil- 


56 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


dren that were crying in the temple and saying, “Hosanna 
to the son of David”: they were moved with indignation, 
and said unto him, “Hearest thou what these are saying?” 

And Jesus saith unto them, “Yea: did ye never read, 
‘Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast per- 
fected praise’?” 

And he was teaching daily in the temple : and every night 
he left them and went forth out of the city into the mount 
that is called Olivet, and lodged in Bethany. 

And the chief priests and the scribes and the principal 
men of the people sought to destroy him: and they could 
not find what they might do; for the people all hung upon 
him, listening. (His Last Week, p. 7; Mt. 21:12-17; Mk. 
11:15-19; Lk. 19:45-48; pl:37-38). 

He entered into the temple . (Mt. 21 :12.) The Jews’ 
first temple, a magnificent structure, was built by 
Solomon about a thousand years before this time, and 
was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B. C. The 
second was erected on the same site by Zerubbabel, 
after the exile, and was partly taken down to make 
room for the temple of Jesus’ day. This was erected 
by Herod the Great and rivaled in richness and 
grandeur the temple of Solomon. After forty-six 
years’ labor it was not yet completed in the time of 
Jesus. 

Herod’ s temple. As rebuilt and enlarged by Herod 
the Great, the Temple-area occupied a rectangular 
space, nearly square, the longer sides of which were not 
far from 1000 feet in length; an area more than one- 
half greater than that of St. Peter’s at Rome, whose- 
length measures 613 feet, and nearly double that of St. 
Paul’s in London, whose extreme length is 520| feet. 
Towards the northwest corner of the area the Temple 
itself and its special courts were placed. They were 
not all on a level, but rose terrace upon terrace, till the 
sacred edifice itself was reached. A colossal bridge on 
arches spanned the intervening Valley of the Tyro- 


THE STORY OF MONDAY 


57 


pceon, connecting the ancient City of David with what 
is called the “ Royal Porch of the Temple.’ ’ Each 
arch spanned 41^ feet, and the spring-stones measured 
24 feet in length by 6 in thickness. The roadway 
which spanned this cleft for a distance of 354 feet, 
from Mount Moriah to Mount Zion opposite, was 50 
feet broad, and crossed the valley at an elevation of 
225 feet. 

The Temple itself was of Graeco-Roman architec- 
ture, and was built of white marble, with gilded 
acroteria. The ‘ ‘porches,” or cloisters, were among 
the finest architectural features of the Temple. These 
were added to the outer enclosure of the Court of the 
Gentiles, when Herod enlarged the Temple. The 
cloisters on the north, east and west sides consisted 
of double rows of Corinthian pillars, all monoliths, each 
pillar being 37 J feet high. The ‘ 4 Royal Porch,” or 
Stoa Basilica, which ran along the southern wall, was 
the most splendid of all, consisting not (as the others) 
of a double, but of a treble, colonnade. To support 
these porticoes Herod annexed the site of the ancient 
royal palace of Solomon, together with some adjoining 
land to the west. 

Entering by the principal gate on the east, worship- 
pers would pass, first into the Court of the Gentiles, 
than into that of the women, thence into that of Israel, 
and from the latter into that of the priests. The great 
Court of the Gentiles, which formed the lowest or 
outer enclosure of the Sanctuary, was paved with the 
finest variegated marble. According to Jewish tradi- 
tion, it formed a square of 750 feet. Its name is de- 
rived from the fact that it was open to all, Jews or 
Gentiles, provided they observed the prescribed rules 
of decorum and reverence. The Court of the Women 


58 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


covered a space upwards of 200 feet square, and ob- 
tained its name, not from its appropriation to the ex- 
clusive use of women, but because women were not 
allowed to proceed further, except for sacrificial pur- 
poses. The eight side gates of this court were all two- 
leaved, wide, high, with superstructures and chambers 
supported by two pillars, and covered with gold and 
silver plating. But far more magnificent than any of 
them was the eastern gate, the principal entrance into 
the upper court. This probably was the “Beautiful 
Gate,” mentioned in the New Testament. In the Court 
of the Priests was the immense altar of unhewn stones, 
a square of not less than 48 feet, and 15 feet high. The 
Sanctuary itself consisted, first, of three courts, each 
higher than the one next without, and, beyond them, 
of the Holy, and Most Holy Places, with their out- 
buildings. In the Holy Place were the golden candle- 
stick, the table of shewbread, and beyond them the 
altar of incense, near the entrance to the Most Holy. 

Sold and bought in the temple . (Mt. 21:12.) In the 
outer enclosure, called the Court of the Gentiles, was 
established the temple market, where oxen, sheep and 
doves were on sale daily for the convenience of those 
who would offer them in sacrifices. There, too, one 
could procure the sacrificial wine, oil and salt. 

The profanity of the traffic. The traffic was neces- 
sary, and might have been innocent; but the trading 
spirit soon develops abuses which were doubtless ram- 
pant at that period, making passover time a Jewish 
“Holy Fair,” a grotesque and offensive combination 
of religion with shady morality. This act of Jesus 
has been justified by the supposed right of the zealot 
(Num. 25:6-13), or by the reforming energy befitting 
the Messiah. It needed no other justification than the 


THE STORY OF MONDAY 


59 


indignation of a noble sonl at sight of shameless deeds. 
Jesns was the only person in Israel who could do such 
a thing. All others had got accustomed to the evil. — 
Bruce, Expos. Greek Test., Matthew, p. 263. 

The cleansing of the temple. (Mt. 21:12, 13.) The 
essence of practical Judaism, according to the ideas 
of the religious official classes, consisted, above all 
things, in the strict observance of the Sabbath, and the 
due and regular carrying out of the sacrificial system. 
Christ had dealt with the former of these, as referred 
to above ; and, in making it a real blessing, had of ne- 
cessity run directly counter to the traditional rules of 
observance ; that is to say, while holding firmly to the 
spirit of the Law, he abrogated the Sabbath in the old 
Jewish sense of the word. The “cleansing” of the 
temple denotes his intention of doing the same with the 
other prime mark of practical Judaism, viz., the sacri- 
ficial system. . . . The whole belief and attitude 

of both hierarchy and people regarding the sacrifices 
were such that the abrogation of these latter was an 
indispensable necessity if Christ's teaching was to 
have practical and permanent results. Vast as the 
number of public, official sacrifices were, those of 
private individuals were of an infinitely greater num- 
ber; it was these latter that formed one of the charac- 
teristic marks of the worship at Jerusalem. . . . 

This seems to show that the “cleansing” of the temple 
really did connote an intention in the mind of Christ 
to abrogate entirely the Jewish sacrificial system. — 
Hastings, Diet, of Christ, vol. ii, pp. 712, 713. 

Cast out . . . and overthrew. (Mt. 21:12.) A 
righteous indignation caused Jesus to resort to ex- 
treme measures. It was a time for judgment, not 
warning; for the use of sanctified muscle, not mild re- 


60 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


monstrance. A sense, too, of liis divine authority gave 
him confidence to enforce the desired reforms. He was 
in his Father’s house and about his Father’s business. 

Money-changers. (Mt. 21:12.) From the time of 
Moses all male Jews, between certain ages, were re- 
quired yearly to make an offering of atonement to the 
Lord of half a shekel. This tax was levied upon the 
rich and poor of all classes (Ex. 30:13), the Levites 
alone being exempt (Num. 1 :49). At the time this law 
became operative the Jews had no coinage, the shekel 
being merely a measure of weight. When, much later, 
they obtained a brief right to coin money, the “ shekel 
of the sanctuary” became the only coin in which this 
tax was legally payable. It was made of silver, was 
equivalent to twenty gerahs (Num. 3:47), and was 
worth about 54 cents. This coin was already scarce in 
the time of Jesus, so that Jews who came to the feasts 
were required to exchange their money, much of which 
was counted profane because of its heathen symbols. 
Hence the presence in the temple of money-changers, 
who had their tables within the sacred precincts osten- 
sibly for the greater convenience of visiting pilgrims. 
As a matter of fact, they grew rich on the fees charged 
in exchanging coins. It is to be noted with interest 
that when Jesus paid his temple tax he paid it in the 
Roman stater (Mt. 17:27, R. V. mg.). 

The vigor of Jesus. The purification of the temple 
during the Passion week, indicates in Christ a vigor 
and intensity of character, and a power of indigna- 
tion, which modern thought rarely attributes to him. 
They interpret the suggestive description of Christ’s 
personal appearance given by John in Rev. 1:13-16, 
the' only hint of his personal appearance aff orded by the 
New Testament. We can imagine that in this expul- 


THE STORY OF MONDAY 


61 


sion his eyes were as flames of fire, his feet firm in their 
tread like feet of brass, his voice as the sound of the 
ocean, his words as a two-edged sword. This indig- 
nation was aroused by (a) the sacrilegious covetousness 
which made God’s house a house of merchandise; ( b ) 
the fraud which converted it into a den of thieves; (c) 
the selfishness of the bigotry which excluded the 
heathen from the only court reserved for them — Ab- 
bott, Commentary on John (2:17). 

The indignation of J esus . It is one of the lamentable 
signs of our times — our incapacity for anger. Many 
of us are lukewarm in the presence of evils which are 
colossal. Some of us are indifferent. Indifference to 
wrong-doing is always a sign of moral deterioration. 
If we do not flame against villainy, it is because there 
is so much of the villain in ourself. We would despise 
graft with a consuming detestation if our own palms 
were not so itching. The healthy soul resents and re- 
sists every form of wrong. The unspoiled heart goes 
out like a man in wrath against the forces of iniquity. 
Nothing is more needed in our day than enlarged 
capacity for moral indignation. Nothing so clears 
the atmosphere as the heat of hearts heated by holy 
anger. There are evils so gigantic and so deeply 
rooted that nothing less than a thunderstorm will over- 
whelm them. Bad men will abound more and more 
unless good men hurl thunderbolts. Criminals become 
brazen, wrong-doers walk insolently, rascals take pos- 
session of high places, until good men, aflame with in- 
dignation, arise and sweep them from the seats of 
power. Society would be cleansed of much of its pol- 
lution if we had more men and women capable of be- 
coming genuinely angry. Let us pray then every day 
that a new indignation may sweep through the world. 


62 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


As Plutarch put it long ago, “ Anger is one of the 
winds by which the sails of the soul are filled. ’ ’ Many 
a belated bark would have reached port long ago if 
anger had been allowed to do its perfect work. It is 
the devil’s trick to keep good men from becoming 
angry. Not only are we permitted as Christians to be 
angry, but it is our duty on occasion to allow this bil- 
low of fire to roll through the soul. Martin Luther is 
not the only man who has worked better when he was 
angry, and many of us limp to our task because we have 
lost one of the elements of moral power. He was a wise 
Englishman who wrote, ‘ ‘Anger is one of the sinews 
of the soul ; he that wants it hath a maimed mind, and 
with Jacob sinew-shrunk in the hollow of his thigh, 
must needs halt. ,, 

In the indignation of Jesus we get light upon the 
character of God. This man’s anger flows from a 
fountain in the heart of the Eternal. The “ wrath of 
the Lamb” is, as we have been often reminded, a figure 
of speech, but like all Biblical figures of speech, it is a 
window opening out on the infinite. — Charles E. Jef- 
ferson, The Character of Jesus, pp. 305-6. 

“Is it not written t” (Mk. 11:17.) The Old Testa- 
ment passages referred to are Isa. 56:7 and Jer. 7:11. 
Such scriptural references would have made a strong 
appeal to the reason of a devout Jew. 

“A den of robbers (Mk. 11:17.) At the first 
cleansing of the temple Jesus had used milder terms. 
He had accused its profaners of turning his Father’s 
house into “a house of merchandise”; now he does not 
hesitate to tell them that they have made it 1 1 a den of 
robbers.” His language was justifiable. Not only 
had the area reserved for the Gentile’s worship been 
converted into a place of unlawful gain; but even the 


THE STORY OF MONDAY 


63 


high priest's family, like later “grafters," had en- 
riched themselves by renting ont the stalls and booths. 
Unfortunately, modern Jerusalem is permeated by this 
same spirit, as nearly all visiting tourists will testify. 
None know better than its inhabitants how to make 
capital out of religious sentiment. The words “den 
of robbers" are quoted from Jer. 7 :11. 

The hand that held the whip. But that proclama- 
tion of regal authority involved some exercise of the 
prerogatives belonging to the Messiah. Monday morn- 
ing beheld Jesus in what was to his disciples a new 
role. He had wrought miracles of mercy; they now 
saw a miracle of stern judgment. The hand which had 
been laid with healing power upon the sick, and which 
he stretched forth with a welcome to the penitent, be- 
came strong for the overturning of tables and the 
breaking of dove-cages. He who had hidden himself 
from crowds became the center of a crowd composed 
of the curious, the wondering, the sympathetic, and the 
hostile. 

We think of Jesus as meek and lowly; but he was 
also the uncompromising enemy of sham. We love to 
think of the love of God ; but that love has two poles, 
and its negative pole is eternal disapproval of wrong 
doing. In the olden time there had been those who 
said, “The Lord will not do good; neither will he do 
evil!" There still are many who believe that God is 
passive in the moral conflicts of the world. But a 
prophet of old promised that when the Lord came 
suddenly to his temple, he should be like a refiner's 
fire, and that the wicked could not abide the day of his 
coming. — The Week of Our Lord's Passion, pp. 89-90. 

The cleansing of the temple; its teachings for Chris- 
tians. It should inspire in his disciples a like spirit of 


64 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


indignation (a) against the sacrilegious covetousness 
which converts the house of God into a mart of mer- 
chandise, whether by the sale of indulgences, masses, 
and prayers to others, or by employing it not for the 
praise of God but for the social and pecuniary profit 
of the pretended worshiper; (b) against the big- 
otry which permits us to look with indifference upon 
the exclusion of the poor, the outcast, the despised 
from the privileges of God’s house. It is a type of 
(a) cleansing which Christ comes to do for every soul, 
which is a temple of God (I Cor. 3:16), and out of 
which all unclean things must be driven by the power 
of God, before it is fit for God’s indwelling; ( b ) the 
final cleansing when he will come to cast out all things 
that defile and work abomination. — Abbot, Commen- 
tary on John (2:17). 

The lesson of Monday . Can we doubt the message 
to our own hearts of this day of the cleansing of the 
temple? Ought it not to be for all who are seeking to 
follow the footsteps of our Lord, a day of searchings 
of heart that all that is unholy may be cast out ; a day 
of digging about the roots of our souls that we may 
discover the causes of our unfruitfulness, and of con- 
secration of purpose that our lives be no more barren 
nor unfruitful? If the day shall bring to us such 
meditations and resolves, then shall our Lord, coming 
this day to the inner temple of the heart, find in it a 
shrine for his own indwelling. — The Week of Our 
Lord’s Passion, p. 94. 

Annas and his sons as extortioners . The sons of 
Annas, who had been legally the High Priest and was 
still the power behind the throne, held concessions 
which gave them a monopoly of all the business trans- 
acted in that place. They received the rentals of the 


THE STORY OF MONDAY 


65 


stalls and booths placed there for traders and money- 
changers. To what extent they shared the profits of 
the extortions levied there cannot now be known pre- 
cisely. But the extortions were prodigious and notor- 
ious, and they fell most heavily upon the poor. Usu- 
rious charges were exacted by the money-changers. 
The price of pigeons was raised to a sum almost in- 
credible. Cattle could not be accepted for sacrifice un- 
til they had been passed upon by a licensed inspector. 
For inspecting them a small price was fixed by law. 
Annas had juggled the inspector’s office into the hands 
of his sons. It was difficult — for many it was practical- 
ly impossible — to procure cattle properly inspected ex- 
cept through his agents, and the legal requirements 
were easily evaded. There is reason to believe that 
the same priestly conspiracy headed by Annas had 
brought about at this very passover what we should call 
“a corner” in lambs, by which the price of them was 
greatly enchanced. The Court of the Gentiles had thus 
been made all and worse than all that gamblers with 
loaded dice have ever made Wall Street. Against its 
extortions the people were helpless. Indignant pro- 
tests from honest ecclesiastics were not wanting. 
When the grandson of Hillel learned that doves were 
selling at about four dollars a brace, he declared he 
would not sleep till he had changed that, and he worked 
so effectively that before sunset they fell to about 
four cents apiece. — William Burnet Wright, The Heart 
of the Master, pp. 43-4. 

The congregation of the poor. And as those traf- 
fickers were driven from the temple, and he spake, 
there flocked in from porches and temple mount the 
poor sufferers — the blind and lame — to get healing to 
body and soul. It was truly springtime in that tern- 


66 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


pie, and the boys that gathered about their fathers and 
looked in turn from their faces of rapt wonderment 
and enthusiasm to the Godlike face of the Christ, and 
then on those healed sufferers, took up the echoes of 
the welcome at his entrance into Jerusalem — in their 
simplicity understanding and applying them better — 
as they burst into “ Hosanna to the Son of David!” — 
Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus, vol. ii, p. 378. 

Sought to destroy him. (Mk. 11:18.) The chief 
priests and scribes regarded the words of Jesus as 
blasphemous and their author worthy of death. They 
may have feared, too, lest the Roman garrison, sta- 
tioned in the fortress of Antonia close by, might hear 
the children’s praise of the Son of David as King and 
construe it as treason to Rome. No immediate steps, 
however, could be taken for his destruction, for the 
authorities stood in fear of the common people, who, 
under the spell of the Palm Sunday triumph and his 
miracles of that very day, thronged him, eager to catch 
his every word. 

The blind and the lame. (Mt. 21:14.) Doubtless 
these were the regular beggars at the gates. They 
would be permitted to come into the outer court of the 
temple. Jesus, in healing them, not only gave proof 
of his divine power, but demonstrated one of the 
benevolent uses to which the temple might be put. 

The healing of the blind and lame. (Mt. 21:14.) 
This is mentioned by Matthew only. Many afflicted 
persons were doubtless to be seen in the temple courts, 
asking alms, or seeking consolation in worship. The 
miraculous healings, then and there, served to establish 
Jesus’ authority to cleanse the temple, and in some 
sense reconsecrate the courts which had been profaned. 
— Broadus, Am. Commentary, Matthew, p. 431. 


THE STORY OF MONDAY 


67 


The last miracles. (Mt. 21:15, 16.) Jesus wrought 
his last miracles in the temple. Upon this the clear 
voices of the children in the temple rang their hosannas 
through its desecrated arches. It was insufferable to 
the priests and doctors to be thus braved in the very 
sanctuary which was their domain. Jesus answered 
their words of indignation by a touching quotation 
from the Old Testament, which showed what a price 
he put upon the homage of these artless, upright 
hearts: 4 ‘ Have ye never read, Out of the mouths of 
babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise ?” — 
Pressense, Jesus Christ, p. 417. 

The children's praises. In this instance he cites the 
words of Ps. 8:2, the primary meaning of which ap- 
pears to be that the child’s wonder at the marvels of 
creation is the truest worship. As applied by our 
Lord their lesson was the same. The cries of the chil- 
dren were the utterance of a truth which the priests 
and scribes rejected. To him, to whom the innocent 
brightness of childhood was a delight, they were more 
acceptable than the half-hearted, self-seeking homage 
of older worshipers. — Plumptre, Handy Commentary, 
Matthew, p. 303. 

The children ... in the temple. (Mt. 21:15.) 
These young folks may have been members of the 
choir employed in the service of the temple, but of this 
we are not certain. At all events, it was fitting that 
Jewish children should frequent the house of God and 
witness the miracles of God’s Son. Filled with joy 
and wonder at his deeds, they burst forth in spon- 
taneous songs of praise, reiterating the Hosannas of 
the previous day. 

“Perfected praise .” (Mt. 21:16.) A free render- 
ing of the sentiment expressed in Ps. 8 :2, the meaning 


68 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


in each passage being that the beauty of God’s works 
is so manifest as to draw forth praise from his weakest 
creations. 

And he was teaching daily , and every night he went 
out . (Lk. 21 :37.) The several narratives of this week, 
taken together, give us the itinerary of these back-and- 
forth journeys from Bethany to Jerusalem with singu- 
lar fidelity. 

Lodged there. (Mt. 21:17.) In Bethany, where 
Mark says that Jesus spent each night of Passion 
Week. At such a time as this, when Jerusalem was 
overcrowded with festival visitors, pilgrims often 
found it necessary to procure lodgings in some of the 
suburbs. Jesus naturally would seek Bethany, the 
home of some of his most intimate friends. 


Gbe Stor? of fTueoba? 

BprU 4, 30 B. S>. 

Early on the third morning of the week Jesus again 
sought the city and the temple. On the way to the city 
the disciples noted that the fig tree which Jesus had 
cursed had withered. While engaged in teaching the 
eager multitudes, Jesus was interrupted by a delega- 
tion from the Sanhedrin, who demanded by what au- 
thority he had assumed lordship in the temple. Jesus 
confused them by a counter-question as to the source 
of John the Baptist’s authority. Being unable to an- 
swer without admitting their own inconsistency, they 
remained silent. Having denied the authority of the 
rulers, Jesus then uttered three parables — The Two 
Sons, The Wicked Husbandmen and The Marriage of 
the King’s Son — each of which pointed its warning to 
the Jewish leaders. At once he was approached by 
representatives from the leading religious parties, who, 
stung to retort by his words, successively propounded 
to him certain entangling questions, hoping by his an- 
swers to compromise him either with the people or 
with the Roman government and so bring about his 
arrest. His replies gave evidence of so much wisdom 
and tact that his questioners were completely silenced. 
An open-minded scribe then asked him concerning the 
greatest commandment, and was satisfactorily an- 
swered. Then Jesus propounded a question which in- 
volved a criticism of his opponents’ Messianic ideas, 
and followed their silence with a vigorous denunciation 
of the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders. 

The season of controversy ended at last, and as 


70 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


Jesus and his disciples passed out through the Court 
of the Women, he saw and commended a widow who, 
out of her extreme poverty, was casting two coins into 
the temple treasury. In the Court of the Gentiles, just 
outside, waited certain Greeks who desired to see 
Jesus. In their presence he uttered some profound 
and beautiful truths concerning the significance of his 
death and resurrection. 

Later in the day, while the rulers were plotting to 
take his life, Jesus withdrew to the Mount of Olives 
and communed with his disciples. Seated on the moun- 
tain and looking hack at the city, which was then re- 
splendent in the light of the declining sun, he uttered 
his final prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem. 
Watchfulness and preparation for approaching calami- 
ties, both immediate and remote, were impressed upon 
his disciples by means of the parables of The Ten 
Virgins and of The Talents, and by a vivid picture of 
The Last Judgment. 

THE LESSON FROM THE WITHERED FIG TREE. 

And as they passed by in the morning, the disciples saw 
the fig tree withered away from the roots, and they mar- 
velled, saying, “How did the fig tree immediately wither 
away!” And Peter, calling to remembrance, saith unto him, 
“Rabbi, behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered 
away.” 

And Jesus, answering, saith unto them, “Have faith in 
God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever have faith and shall 
say unto this mountain, ‘Be thou taken up and cast into 
the sea’; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe 
that what he saith cometh to pass, he shall have it. There- 
fore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and 
ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have 
them. And whensoever ye stand praying, forgive, if ye 
have aught against any one ; that your Father also who is 
in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (His Last 
Week, p. 8; Mt. 21.19-22; Mk. 11:20-26). 


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71 


The fig tree withered away. (Mk. 11:12-14.) On 
the Monday morning, as he was returning from 
Bethany to his ministry in the city, very early, indeed 
before sunrise, the word against the fig tree was 
spoken. That same evening he with his disciples went 
back to Bethany to lodge there, but probably at so late 
an hour that the darkness prevented them from mark- 
ing the effects which had followed upon that word. It 
was not till the morning of Tuesday that “they saw the 
fig tree dried up from the roots/ ’ — Trench, Notes on 
the Miracles, p. 343. 

THE CHALLENGE OF CHRIST’S AUTHORITY. 

And they came again to Jerusalem. And all the people 
came early in the morning to him in the temple to hear 
him. And as he was walking in the temple, and teaching 
the people, and preaching the gospel, there came upon 
him the chief priests and the scribes with the elders; and 
they spake, saying unto him, “Tell us: By what authority 
doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this 
authority ?” 

And Jesus answered, and said unto them, “I also will ask 

you one question, which if ye tell me, I likewise will tell 

you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of 

John, whence was it? from heaven or from men? Answer 

. » 

me. 

And they reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we shall 
say, ‘From heaven’ ; he will say unto us, ‘Why then did ye 
not believe him?’ But if we shall say, ‘From men,’ we. 
fear the multitude; all the people will stone us: for they 
are persuaded that John was a prophet.” 

And they answered Jesus, and said, “We know not.” 

And Jesus said unto them, “Neither tell I you by what 
authority I do these things.” (His Last Week, pp. 8-9; 
Mt. 21:23-27; Mk. 11:27-33; Lk. 20:1-8.) 

The reaction. In spite of the force with which they 
were attacked by Jesus, the ecclesiastical authorities 
were able to pull themselves together, and reassert 


72 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


their position. Encouraged by the failure of Jerusa- 
lem to rise and join the provincial movement, they 
challenged Jesus for allowing the young to re-echo in 
the temple the cries of the multitude outside. Although 
Jesus gave a splendid answer, drawn from his usual 
armory, he lodged, that night, not in a palace, but on 
the Mount of Olives. This had been Jerusalem’s 
“day”; but the city which slew the prophets knew it 
not; and now the door was shut. — James Stalker, 
D. D., in S. S. Times. 

Chief priests . (Mk. 11:27.) In the Greek, “chief 
priests” is expressed by one word, the plural of “high- 
priest. ’ ’ As there could be but one high priest, strictly 
speaking, the term “chief priests” is generally held 
to include members of the high priest’s family and 
those who had been high priests. The family of Annas 
had come to be a family of chief priests. Five of his 
sons and his son-in-law had been priests. 

The elders . (Mt. 21:23.) The elders were men of 
years and of recognized standing, including Sadducees 
and Pharisees and members of the Sanhedrin. 

The scribes . (Mk. 11:27.) On their return from 
the Babylonian exile the Israelites, anxious to pre- 
serve their sacred books and prophecies, engaged 
learned men as transcribers, custodians and interpre- 
ters of the Jewish Scriptures. These men were called 
scribes. At first they were chosen from the priestly 
class (II Chron. 34:13); later, laymen joined their 
ranks, and finally they became an independent class. 
As an organization they began with Ezra the Scribe, 
in the fifth century B. C., and terminated, two hundred 
years later, with Simeon the Just. 

As expositors and guardians of the law, the scribes 
occupied themselves mainly with precepts regarding 


THE STORY OF TUESDAY 


73 


sacrifices, the festival celebrations, the observance of 
the Sabbath, the payments to be made to the priests 
and the temple, and more especially with those re- 
lating to levitical purity in the matter of foods and 
purifications. They laid the greatest stress on those 
ascetic elements, because they thereby kept Israel 
separate from the Gentiles. 

By New Testament times the scribes were extremely 
influential. With their close friends, the Pharisees, 
they obtained chief seats in the synagogues and at 
feasts (Mt. 23 :6, Lk. 14:7). They were noted for their 
ostentation and arrogance. 

They found employment in connection with the San- 
hedrin, and of that body some scribes were members 
and helped administer the law. They were experts to 
decide points of law and their decisions on vexed ques- 
tions were honored above the law itself, so that it was 
a greater crime to offend against “The Words of the 
Scribes’ ’ (a technical phrase for these decisions) than 
against the law. 

In the synagogues they were naturally the chief 
speakers. They were also teachers in the schools, in 
which they instructed the youth. They were called 
scribes, rabbis and lawyers. The most of them belonged 
to the party of the Pharisees, but there were also Sad- 
ducees who were scribes. 

It was their desire to make the Law of Moses the 
rule of life for the whole nation and for individuals. 
While their moral precepts were good, their legalism 
missed the spirit of the law whose letter they so highly 
esteemed. As a class, they were entirely out of har- 
mony with the spiritual teachings of J esus. 

“Why did ye not believe him?” (Mk. 11:31.) On 
the non-acceptance, by the rulers, of John the Baptist’s 


74 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


testimony concerning Jesus, see Mt. 3 :7 ; 11 :18 and Jn. 
5:35. 

“Neither tell I you.” (Mk. 11:33.) As these men 
were the recognized authorities in both civil and reli- 
gious matters, Jesus’ refusal to substantiate his claim 
was a flat denial of their authority. 

Solomon's Porch. The Royal Porch was used for 
both business and social, and to some extent for reli- 
gious purposes. It was to Jerusalem what the Agora 
was to Athens, the Forum to Rome, the Rialto to 
Venice. Here friends met, merchants bargained, and 
idlers came to hear the news. A part of the structure 
was reserved for the uses of devotion. Along the 
eastern side of the temple square ran another colon- 
nade, inferior in grandeur to the Royal Porch, but 
magnificent. It was called “Solomon’s Porch.” 
North of the Royal Porch, about two thirds of the dis- 
tance between it and the north limit of the square, 
were the buildings of the temple itself. These were 
conspicuous, for the whole inclosure was dome-shaped 
and they stood upon its crest. They were fenced in by 
a balustrade of carved white marble, beyond which 
Gentiles were forbidden on penalty of death to pass. 
The whole space between the Royal Porch and this bal- 
ustrade was called “the Court of the Gentiles,” be- 
cause to the Gentiles it was free. — William Burnet 
Wright, The Heart of the Master, pp. 40-1. 

The challenge of Jesus' authority. (Mt. 21:23-27.) 
To teach while walking about was very common with 
the rabbis. To stop a teacher and ask him questions 
was also common. The conversation between our Lord 
and the rulers now goes on for a long time in the tem- 
ple court, the people thronging to hear, their usual 
keen interest in rabbinical discussions being heightened 


THE STORY OF TUESDAY 


75 


by the triumphal entry and other recent events. — 
Broadus, Am. Commentary, Matthew, pp. 436-438. 

Legal authority to teach required. There was no 
principle more firmly established by universal consent 
than that authoritative teaching required previous 
authorization. Indeed, this logically followed from the 
principle of rabbinism. All teaching must be authori- 
tative, since it was traditional — approved by authority, 
and handed down from teacher to disciple. The high- 
est honor of a scholar was, that he was like a well- 
plastered cistern, from which not a drop had leaked of 
what had been poured into it. The ultimate appeal 
in cases of discussion was always to some great author- 
ity, whether an individual teacher or a decree by the 
Sanhedrin. In this manner had the great Hillel first 
vindicated his claim to be the teacher of his time and 
to decide the disputes then pending. And, to decide 
differently from authority, was either the mark of 
ignorant assumption or the outcome of daring rebel- 
lion, in either case to be visited with the “ban.” And 
this was at least one aspect of the controversy as be- 
tween the chief authorities and Jesus. No one would 
have thought of interfering with a mere Haggadist — 
a popular expositor, preacher, or teller of legends. 
But authoritatively to teach, required other warrant. In 
fact, there was regular ordination to the office of rabbi, 
elder, and judge, for the three functions were combined 
in one. . . . The person to be ordained had to de- 

liver a discourse; hymns and poems were recited; the 
title “Rabbi” was formally bestowed on the candidate, 
and authority given him to teach and to act as judge 
(to bind and loose, to declare guilty or free). . . . 

At one time it was held that ordination could only take 
place in the Holy Land. Those who went abroad took 


76 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


with them their “letters of orders/ ’ — Edersheim, Life 
and Times of Jesus, vol. ii, pp. 381, 382. 

The authority of Christ . The first recorded com- 
ment on the teaching of Jesus is that of Mt. 7 :28 (Mk. 
1:22; Lk. 4:32) : “They were astonished at his teach- 
ing, for he taught them as one having authority, and 
not as their scribes/ ’ The scribes said nothing of 
themselves ; they appealed in every utterance to tradi- 
tion; the message they delivered was not self -authen- 
ticating ; it had not the moral weight of the speaker ’s 
personality behind it ; it was a deduction or application 
of some legal maxim connected with a respectable 
name. They claimed authority, of course, but men had 
no immediate and irresistible consciousness that the 
claim was just. With Jesus it was the opposite. He 
appealed to no tradition, sheltered himself behind no 
venerable name, claimed no official status; but those 
who heard him could not escape the consciousness that 
his word was with authority (Lk. 4:32). He spoke a 
final truth, laid down an ultimate law. 

In one respect, he continued, in so doing, the t^ork 
and power of the prophets. There was a succession 
of prophets in Israel, hut not a prophetic tradition. 
It was a mark of degeneration and of insincerity when 
self-styled prophets repeated each other, stealing 
God’s words every one from his neighbor (Jer. 23:30). 
The true prophet may have his mind nourished on 
earlier inspired utterances, hut his own message must 
spring from an immediate prompting of God. It is 
only when his message is of this kind that his word 
is with power. No mind was ever more full than the 
mind of Jesus of all that God had spoken in the past, 
but no one was ever so spontaneous as he, so free from 
mere reminiscence, so completely determined in his ut- 


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77 


terance by the conditions to which it was addressed. 
It is necessary to keep both things in view in consid- 
ering his authority as a teacher. Abstract formulae 
about the seat of authority in religion are not of much 
service in this connection. It is, of course, always true 
to say that truth and the mind are made for each 
other, and that the mind recognizes the authority of 
truth because in truth it meets its counterpart, that 
which enables it to realize its proper being. It is al- 
ways correct, also, to apply this in the region of morals 
and religion, and to say that the words of Jesus and the 
prophets are authoritative because our moral personal- 
ity instinctively responds to them. We have no choice, 
as beings made for morality and religion, to do any- 
thing but bow before them. — Hasting’s Dictionary of 
Christ and the Gospels. 

Jesus 9 reply . (Mt. 21:23.) Our Lord in his reply 
did not merely silence his questioners by turning their 
question against themselves. He did answer their 
question, though he also exposed the cunning and 
cowardice which prompted it. To the challenge for his 
authority, and the dark hint about Satanic agency, he 
replied by an appeal to the Baptist. He had borne 
full witness to the mission of Christ from the Father, 
and “all men counted John, that he was a prophet in- 
deed.” Were they satisfied? What was their view of 
the baptism in preparation for the coming of Christ? 
No? They would not, or could not answer! If they 
said the Baptist was a prophet, this implied not only 
the authorization of the mission of Jesus, but the call 
to believe on him. On the other hand, they were afraid 
publicly to disown John! And so their cunning and 
cowardice stood out selfcondemned, when they pleaded 
ignorance — a plea so grossly and manifestly dishonest, 


78 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


that Christ, having given what all must have felt to be 
a complete answer, could refuse further discussion with 
them on this point. — Condensed from Edersheim, Life 
and Times of Jesus, vol. ii, pp. 382, 383. 

Jesus as a controversalist. Controversy is a form of 
the service of God for which many have no sympathy. 
When they see a good man taking his share in it, they 
are sorry, and wish he would spend his strength in do- 
ing something else. But how shallow such a view is 
can be seen by recalling how much of their time the 
very greatest servants of God have had to employ in 
this way. Think of Elijah, Paul, Luther, John the lov- 
ing and Bernard the holy! Jesus himself was inces- 
santly engaged in controversy. But his connection 
with it culminated on one of the last days of his life, 
perhaps the Tuesday, when his opponents of all shades 
of opinion united to oppose and confound him, starting 
argument after argument and employing all their au- 
thority, learning and skill either to discredit him in 
the eyes of the people or to extort from him some reply 
which would involve him with the civil powers. Nearly 
a sixth part of the Gospel of Matthew is devoted to the 
proceedings of this day.— Prof. James Stalker, D. D. 

THE TWO SONS. 

And he began to speak unto them in parables : 

“But what think ye? A man had two sons; and he came 
to the first, and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard/ 
And he answered and said, ‘I will not’: but afterward he 
repented himself, and went. And he came to the second, 
and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir*: 
and went not. Which of the two did the will of his father ? ,; 

They say, “The first ” 

Jesus saith unto them, “Verily I say unto you, that the 
publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God 
before you. For John came unto you in the way of right- 
eousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and 


THE STORY OF TUESDAY 


79 


the harlots believed him; and ye, when ye saw it, did not 
even repent yourselves afterward that ye might believe 
him. ,, (His Last Week, p. 9; Mt. 21:28-32.) 

The parable of the two sons . (Mt. 21:28-32.) In 
the light of Christ’s interpretation the force and mean- 
ing of the parable lie in the contrasted verbs, “went” 
and “went not.” It is a picture of obedience in con- 
trast with disobedience. 

We shall miss the point of the parable if we ask, 
‘ ‘ Which was the better of the two sons V ’ or, “Which of 
the sons did Jesns approve?” We are not concerned 
with comparative goodness. Jesns did not approve 
either of the young men. Both of them did wrong. 
But the first, becoming ashamed of his wrong-doing, re- 
pents and begins to do right. And that is the only com- 
mendable thing about him. The single question which 
the parable is designed to enforce is one of obedience 
and disobedience. It is embodied in the words, 
“Whether of them twain did the will of his father?” 
Nothing is easier, and few things more common, than 
to mistake mere assent to divine truth for obedience 
to the divine will. A great deal of our modern Chris- 
tianity consists in simply saying, “I go, sir,” to God, 
and does not represent any form of doing God’s will. 
We recite our well-framed creeds, we say “Amen” to 
our prayers, with apparent fervor, but our lives are not 
affected thereby. We do not translate our creeds and 
our prayers into deeds of righteousness and love. — 
Hubbard, Teachings of J esus, pp. 387-392. 

Publicans . (Mt. 21:31.) These were inferior Jew- 
ish officers employed as collectors of the Roman 
revenue. They were a hated class, partly because of 
their methods of extortion (Lk. 3:13), and partly be- 
cause they were considered traitors, many of the J ews 


80 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


having a firm belief in the unlawfulness of paying trib- 
ute. They were commonly classed with sinners (Mt. 
9:11) and with the heathen (Mt. 18:17). Our Lord 
was scornfully referred to as the friend of publicans 
(Mt. 11:19). 

THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN. 

“Hear another parable: There was a man who was a 
householder, who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge 
about it, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, 
and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another coun- 
try. And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent 
his servants to the husbandmen to receive the fruits of 
his vineyard. And the husbandmen took his servants, and 
beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, 
he sent other servants more than the first; and they did 
unto them in like manner. He had yet one, a beloved son; 
he sent him last unto them, saying, ‘They will reverence 
my son.’ But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, 
said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us 
kill him, and take his inheritance/ And they took him, and 
cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. When 
therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will 
he do unto those husbandmen ?” 

They say unto him, “He will miserably destroy those 
miserable men, and will let out the vineyard unto other 
husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their sea- 
sons. ,, 

Jesus saith unto them, “Did ye never read in the scrip- 
tures, 

‘The stone which the builders rejected, 

The same was made the head of the corner; 

This was from the Lord, 

And it is marvellous in our eyes’? 

Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be 
taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bring- 
ing forth the fruits thereof. And he that falleth on this 
stone shall be broken to pieces ; but on whomsoever it shall 
fall, it will scatter him as dust.” 

And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his 
parables, they perceived that he spake of them. And when 
they sought to lay hold on him, they feared the multitudes, 


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81 


because they took him for a prophet. (His Last Week, pp. 
9-10; Mt. 21:36-46; Mk. 12:1-12; Lk. 9:19). 

“Hear another parable .” (Mt. 21:33.) A parable 
may be defined as a short fictitious narrative intended 
to illustrate some point in moral or religious teaching. 
Less precise, but quite as telling, is a certain child’s 
definition of a parable as “an earthly story with a 
heavenly meaning.” 

Parables abound in the teachings of most of the 
eminent Jewish rabbis, but those of Jesus greatly sur- 
passed all others. About thirty of his are recorded, 
the most of them teaching the laws of his divine king- 
dom. Those, such as we are here studying, uttered in 
the latter part of his ministry, are largely prophetic of 
the rejection of Israel. 

Undoubtedly J esus often taught by this picturesque 
method to catch the attention of the multitudes. “Rus- 
kin compares the parables to traps set, attractively 
baited; in time, they would spring and hold.” Yet it 
is true, as Jesus taught in the 13th chapter of Matthew, 
that parables conceal, as well as reveal, truth. Sur- 
rounded as he was by enemies, it was necessary that his 
teachings should be easily apprehended by seekers 
after the truth, while remaining but “dark sayings” to 
those spiritually obtuse. 

Hedge . . . winepress . . . tower . (Mk. 
12:1.) Eastern vineyards are surrounded by hedges, 
either of living shrubs or cacti or of dried branches or 
by rude stone walls topped with thorns. These are 
designed to keep out thieving men and animals. The 
wine-press, in which the grapes are trodden by the bare 
feet of servants, consists of a stone slab, hollowed out 
to the depth of a foot or more and sloping slightly to- 
wards a rock-cistern beneath, in which the grapejuice 


82 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


is kept until fermented. Both vats are often dug out 
of solid rock, hence the expression “ digged a wine- 
press.” The tower may refer to any shelter erected 
on a commanding site, where the watchman can over- 
look the vineyard and guard it against marauders. If 
near the wine-press, this shelter is often used for the 
storing of grapes before they are pressed. Isa. 5 :l-7 
undoubtedly forms the basis of the above picture. 

“The stone which the builders rejected.” (Mt. 21: 
42.) This is a Messianic prophecy from Ps. 118: 22, 
23. “The original ‘rejected stone’ was Israel itself, re- 
jected by the nations, defeated and exiled, but destined 
by God for the chief place among them all. This psalm 
was probably sung after the return from the exile, 
when the hopes of the nation were raised to the highest 
pitch.” Peter, before the Sanhedrin, makes use of the 
22nd verse and applies it directly to Jesus (Acts 4 :11). 

The stone which the builders rejected . (Mt. 21:42.) 
God’s purpose is not defeated by men’s sin. Christ 
rejected is still King. Men have sought to build a 
kingdom that shall endure forever. They have selected 
what truths they deemed most important, seen these 
truths manifested in persons, honored and glorified 
them, and used them as stones for their structure. 
“Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, Christ,” they have 
said, ‘ ‘ these are built into the kingdom that will abide, 
and on them it rests.” But the Christ will not fit in 
with the others. Therefore he has been rejected. Yet 
in the abiding structure rising through the course of 
time, under the hand of God, he re-appears. He is the 
headstone of the corner. Can you not read history! 
“He is the stone which was set at naught of you the 
builders, which was made the head of the corner.” 
“And in none other is there salvation; for neither is 


THE STORY OF TUESDAY 


83 


there any other name under heaven, that is given 
among men, wherein we must be saved/ ’ — Albert E. 
Dunning, D. D., in Monday Club Sermons. 

“ The head of the corner.” (Mt. 21:42.) The cor- 
ner-stone of a building is ordinarily one of unusual 
beauty and is honored by being placed in the most 
prominent corner of the foundation walls. It is in- 
teresting to Bible students to know that the corner- 
stone of the first temple at J erusalem may yet be stand- 
ing. Within comparatively recent years some of the 
great stones of the foundation wall of the temple have 
been unearthed. The lowest stone at the southeast 
corner, when brought to light, was found to measure 
14 feet in length and 3 feet 8 inches in height, and to be 
“squared and polished, with a finely dressed face.” 
As the present foundation rests on solid rock, it cor- 
responds essentially with that of Solomon’s temple. 

The vinedressers condemned. There are said to be 
no fewer than six parables of our Lord in which the 
vine appears. It was the most conspicuous and valu- 
able product of the Holy Land, and it supplied in- 
numerable illustrations to the poets and preachers of 
the Jewish race. It was an emblem of the nation it- 
self, appearing frequently on J ewish coins. In front of 
the temple there hung a massive vine of fine gold. In 
Psalm 80, the image is worked out elaborately ; and in 
the fifth chapter of Isaiah there is a lengthened com- 
parison of Israel and Judah to a vineyard, which Jesus 
must have had in mind when framing this parable. 
Not only did the householder own the vineyard, but he 
had himself planted it, and he had supplied it with 
everything requisite for its successful cultivation — 
hedge, wine-press, tower. This is an image of the love 
and care bestowed by Jehovah on the chosen people 


84 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


from the beginning. — Prof. James Stalker in S. S. 
Times. 

To whom the parable was addressed . It is observ- 
able that Lnke separates the parable of the vine- 
dresser from the dialogue by the remark, peculiar to 
him, “And he began to speak unto the people this 
parable’ ’ (Lk. 20:9). Here it is assumed that the San- 
hedrists also were present and were even primarily 
addressed, as, on the other hand, in Matthew the pres- 
ence of a number of people also is assumed, in teaching 
whom Jesus was interrupted by the deputation of the 
Great Council, and who certainly had not become fewer 
during the transaction with the latter. Still Luke ’s in- 
troductory remark gives us the important intimation, 
that in beginning to relate this parable Jesus ex- 
changed the tone of the special dialogue with the San- 
hedrists for that of a public address to the entire com- 
pany of assembled people. — Goebel, Parables of J esus, 
p. 326. 

Teachings of this parable concerning Christ . (Mt. 21 : 
37-38.) The vinedressers are represented as knowing 
the son and heir. Is it implied that the men to whom 
the parable is addressed knew the speaker to be the 
Christ, the Son of the living God? In that case Jesus 
virtually charges them with being on the point of put- 
ting to death one whom they admitted to be divine, or 
at least invested with Messianic dignity. But probably 
all that is strictly implied is that they might have 
known who the speaker was, and would have known 
had their hearts been pure. In asking him as to his 
authority they affected not to know who he was, and 
perhaps it was not a mere affectation, for prejudice 
and passion had blinded their eyes. — Bruce, Parabolic 
Teaching of Christ, p. 457. 


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85 


THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING’S SON. 

And Jesus answered and spake again in parables unto 
them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto 
a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, and 
sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to 
the marriage feast: and they would not come. Again he 
sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bid- 
den, ‘Behold, I have made ready my dinner; my oxen and 
my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready ; come to the 
marriage feast.’ But they made light of it, and went their 
ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise ; and 
the rest laid hold on his servants, and treated them shame- 
fully, and killed them. But the king was wroth; and he 
sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned 
their city. Then saith he to his servants, ‘The wedding is 
ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. Go ye 
therefore unto the partings of the highways, and as many 
as ye shall find, bid to the marriage feast.’ And those serv- 
ants went out into the highways, and gathered together 
all as many as they found, both bad and good; and the 
wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came 
in to behold the guests, he saw there a man who had not 
on a wedding-garment: and he saith unto him, ‘Friend, 
how earnest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment?’ 
And he was speechless. Then the king said to the serv- 
ants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him out into the 
outer darkness’ ; there shall be the weeping and the gnash- 
ing of teeth. For many are called, but few chosen.” (His 
Last Week, pp. 10-11; Mt. 22:1-14). 

The marriage of the king’s son . This parable is 
found in Matthew’s Gospel alone. It is similar to one 
spoken by Jesus in Peraea, three months earlier, but dif- 
fers from it in many important details and in the les- 
sons taught. See Lk. 14 :15-24. 

“To call them that were bidden.” (Mt. 22:1.) In 
some parts of the East it is still customary, in giving a 
large banquet, to issue two invitations to the guests; 
the earlier one being a preliminary announcement ; the 
later one, a special summons sent on the very day of 


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the event. Because of the absence of timepieces, this 
final invitation was necessary in Jesus ’ day, lest the 
guests fail to be punctual. 

And they would not come . (Mt. 21:1.) Orientals 
delight in feasts, particularly those given in connection 
with a marriage. Not to accept an invitation to such an 
event is an almost unheard-of thing. To invent ex- 
cuses for non-attendance, to scorn repeated invitations 
and to maltreat the messengers bringing them, would 
be considered a deadly insult to the host. Such treat- 
ment of a king’s invitation would be plainly indica- 
tive of rebellion. 

The parable of the marriage of the king’s son . (Mt. 
22:1-10.) Evidently the king is God himself, and his 
son is Christ, as he is on the point of uniting himself 
with his bride, the church. Since the guests are the 
king’s subjects, they would be obliged to comply with 
the invitation, although he had summoned them to 
compulsory service. Thus motives of the highest 
honor, of the highest love and joy, and of the highest 
duty, combined to induce the persons invited to appear. 
— Lange, Life of Christ 1 :526. 

The wedding garment. (Mt. 22:11-13.) We do not 
know of any specific wedding dress, as distinguished 
from that appropriate to other festive occasions ; but 
the guests must come properly arrayed. Oriental 
monarchs now frequently present some elegant article 
of apparel to a visitor; and hence it has been widely 
supposed by commentators that in this case the king 
had furnished suitable material, and this man had re- 
fused or neglected to put it on. But the evidence fur- 
nished for such a custom (e. g., by Trench) is not 
adequate ; and if the supposition be here made, it must 
be grounded on the necessity of the case. There is, 


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however, no intimation that the man was poor. This 
is not a charitable feast to the poor (Lk. 14:13), but 
a grand entertainment in honor of the king’s son. A 
forenoon banquet was originally proposed and it is 
now night, so that there has been ample time for prep- 
aration. — Broadus, Am. Commentary, Matthew, p. 
448. 

TRIBUTE TO CAESAR. 

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they 
might ensnare him in his talk so as to deliver him up 
to the rule and to the authority of the governor. And they 
watched him, they sent to him their disciples, with the 
Herodians, spies, who feigned themselves to be righteous, 
saying, “Teacher, we know that thou art true, and teachest 
the way of God in truth, and carest not for any one: for 
thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, 
What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto 
Caesar, or not?” 

But Jesus perceived their craftiness, and said, “Why 
make ye trial of me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute 
money.” 

And they brought unto him a denarius. 

And he saith unto them, “Whose is this image and sup- 
erscription?” 

They say unto him, “Caesar’s.” 

Then he saith unto them, “Render therefore unto Caesar 
the things that are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that 
are God’s.” 

And they were not able to take hold of the saying before 
the people. 

And when they heard it, they marvelled, and left him, 
and went away. (His Last Week, pp. 11-12 ; Mt. 22:15-22; 
Mk. 12:13-17; Lk. 20:20-26.) 

The Pharisees . . . took counsel. (Mt. 22:15.) 
In the time of Herod the Great, the Pharisees were 
“a party representing the religious views, practices 
and hopes of the kernel of the Jewish people, in op- 
position to the priestly Sadducees. They were, ac- 


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DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


cordingly, scrupulous observers of the law as inter- 
preted by the scribes, in accordance with tradition/ ’ 
The reforms of Nehemiah were responsible for their 
organization as a body, which dated from the second 
century B. C. They held to a complete separation 
from everything non- Jewish. In their zeal for the 
letter of the law they often forgot its spirit. While 
their earnestness had done much to solidify the front 
of Judaism against paganism, they had become, in the 
time of our Lord, a body of pedants, who proved from 
the outset his most determined enemies. Some in- 
dividual Pharisees, however, were friends of Jesus 
(Lk. 7:37; 13:31), and of the early Christians (Acts 5: 
38; 23:9). 

The Herodians. (Mt. 22:15.) Tertullian and some of 
the early church fathers regarded the Herodians as a 
religious party, and this view is held by many promi- 
nent Jewish scholars of modern times. Certain New 
Testament verses, such as Mk. 8 :15 and Mt. 16 :6, where 
Jesus warned his disciples against the “ leaven ,’ 1 i. e. 
bad teaching (see Mt. 16:12), of Herod, are adduced 
to show that the Herodians represented a religious 
party. Equally good authorities, however, maintain 
that the Herodians were a political party, most prob- 
ably the adherents of the dynasty of Herod. At the 
death of Herod (B. C. 4), his kingdom was divided 
among his sons. When one of them, Archelaus, was 
deposed (A. D. 7) a Roman procurator was put in his 
place, and thenceforward Judaea continued under 
procurators, with the exception of a brief interval, dur- 
ing which Herod Agrippa I. united under his sway all 
the dominions of his grandfather. It was doubtless the 
constant desire of the family of Herod to restore the 
kingdom of their father, and the Herodians would seem 


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89 


to have been the party of those who favored their pre- 
tensions. They “truckled to the Romans,” and, un- 
like the Pharisees, favored tribute to Caesar. 

In a previous plot against the life of Jesus (Mk. 3 :6), 
the Herodians joined forces with the Pharisees, and 
again in this verbal encounter they united (Mt. 22:16). 

' ' Tribute unto Caesar. 9 9 ( Mt. 22:17.) “ Caesar ’ ’ was 
originally the cognomen of a patrician Roman family, 
but when that family became extinct at the death of 
Nero, “Caesar” was made the official title of the em- 
perors who succeeded him. A survival of the word 
is seen in the German “Kaiser” and the Russian 
“Czar.” The Roman monarch ruling at the time of 
the Crucifixion was Tiberius Caesar, who reigned from 
14 to 37 A. D. 

The word “tribute” here refers to the annual poll 
tax levied upon the Jews by the Roman government. 
It was collected by the publicans, and was payable in 
the denarius , or New Testament “penny.” Because 
this coin bore the image of the emperor, the tax was 
most offensive to the Jews, as it was a perpetual re- 
minder of their subjection. 

The “penny,” or denarius, which the Pharisees 
brought to Jesus, was a Roman com, and the ordinary 
day’s wage of a working man. It was a silver coin, 
worth somewhat less than 20 cents. The Roman 
standard gold coin was the aurus, worth 25 denarii. 
On one side of the denarius was the head of the em- 
peror, with his name and title in Latin. The denarius 
of Tiberius bore on the reverse the seated figure of 
Livia, the empress. The denarius of Titus has his 
name and face on the front, and on the reverse a palm 
tree, and Titus in military dress with his foot on a 
helmet. 


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DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


' ‘ The things that are C cesar’s. ’ ’ ( Mt. 22 :21. ) J esus 
was here teaching a lesson in common honesty. Since 
the Jews were enjoying the protection and privileges 
of the Roman government, they were under obligation 
to pay something in return for those services. The 
payment of the tax was not necessarily an endorsement 
of the moral character of the government, but was an 
acknowledgment of the authority of the power that 
protected them. 

Tribute to Caesar . The payment of tribute was the 
only condition of life left to the conquered who could no 
longer fight, and who refused to change their faith and 
accept that of their conquerors. For over a thousand 
years Oriental Christians have been in this position, 
allowed to live by paying an adult head-tax for the up- 
keep of the Turkish army. The new constitution has 
removed this indignity and offered them the position 
of fellow-citizens. Most of them, however, while ac- 
cepting the new liberty, seek by payment of fine or by 
concealment or falsification of the date of birth to 
evade the obligation of military service. — George M. 
Mackie, D. D. 

The 'payment of tribute . The Jew objected to paying 
tribute because he thought that submission to Rome 
involved rebellion against God, and, conversely, that 
submission to God should involve rebellion against 
Rome. But Jesus commands obedience to both, and 
therein implies that there is no such alternative. It is 
possible to serve God and Caesar, — to give each his 
own. The relations between these two obligations are 
not laid down explicitly, but are implied in the juxta- 
position of the two clauses. In the first place they are 
perfectly compatible, and Christian lives can be lived 
even under a foreign tyrant. In the second place, ren- 


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91 


dering to Caesar his due is part of our rendering to God 
what is due to him, for “the powers that be are or- 
dained of God,” even when that power is wielded by a 
Tiberius (Rom. 13:17). But, in the third place, the 
juxtaposition of the two suggests the limitation of the 
former. If at any time Caesar’s commands oppose 
God’s, rebellion against him is loyalty to God. If 
there are “things that be Caesar’s,” and there are 
“things that be God’s,” and if Caesar stretches his 
hand beyond his territory he is to be resisted in the 
name of God. The sanctity and the limitations of civic 
obedience are laid down for all Christian times and 
states in these calm words. — Alexander McLaren, 
D. D., in S. S. Times. 

Jesus’ teaching concerning money. Have you ob- 
served that all Christ’s main teachings, by direct order, 
by earnest parables, and by his own permanent emo- 
tion, regard the use and misuse of money? We might 
have thought, if we had been asked what a divine 
teacher was most likely to teach, that he would have 
left inferior persons to give directions about money; 
and himself spoken only concerning faith and love and 
the discipline of the passions, and the guilt of the 
crimes of soul against soul. But not so. He speaks in 
general terms of these. But he does not speak parables 
about them for all men’s memory, nor permit himself 
fierce indignation against them, in all men’s sight. The 
Pharisees bring him an adulteress. He writes her for- 
giveness on the dust of which he had formed her. An- 
other, despised of all for known sin, he recognized as a 
giver of unknown love. But he acknowledges no love 
in buyers and sellers in his house. One should have 
thought there were people in that house twenty times 
worse than they ; — Caiaphas and his like ; false priests, 


92 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


false prayer-makers, false leaders of the people — who 
needed putting to flight with darkest wrath. But the 
scourge is only against the traffickers and thieves. The 
two most intense of all the parables, the two which lead 
the rest in love and terror (this of the Prodigal and of 
Dives) relate, both of them, to management of riches. 
The practical order given to the only seeker of advice 
of whom it is recorded that Christ ‘ i loved him, ’ 1 is 
briefly about his property : ‘ ‘ Sell that thou hast . 9 9 

And the arbitrament of the day of Last J udgment is 
made to rest wholly, neither on belief in God, nor in 
any spiritual virtue in man, nor in freedom from stress 
of stormy crime, but on this only, “I was an hungered 
and ye gave me drink ; naked, and ye clothed me ; sick, 
and ye came unto me.” — Buskin, Time and Tide, 
Letter 25. 

THE QUESTION OF THE RESURRECTION. 

And on that day there came to him certain of the Sad- 
ducees, they that say that there is no resurrection; and 
they asked him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote unto us, 
that if a man’s brother die, having a wife, and he be child- 
less, his brother shall take the wife, and raise up seed unto 
his brother. There were therefore seven brethren : and the 
first took a wife, and died childless; and the second; and 
the third took her; and likewise the seven also left no 
children, and died. Last of all, the woman also died. In 
the resurrection therefore whose wife of them shall she 
be? for the seven had her to wife.” 

And Jesus said unto them, “Is it not for this cause that 
ye err, that ye know not the scriptures, nor the power of 
God. The sons of this world marry, and are given in mar- 
riage ; but they that are accounted worthy to attain to that 
world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, 
nor are given in marriage: for neither can they die any 
more : for they are equal unto the angels ; and are sons of 
God, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are 
raised, even Moses showed, in the place concerning the 
Bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and 


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the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is not 
the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto 
him.” 

And when the multitudes heard it they were astonished at 
his teaching. 

And certain of the scribes answering him, said, “Teacher, 
thou hast well said.” For they durst not any more ask 
him any question. (His Last Week, p. 12; Mt. 22:23-33; 
Mk. 12: 18-27; Lk. 20: 27-40). 

Certain of the Sadducees. (Mt. 22:23.) There is 
good reason to believe that the Sadducees, who first ap- 
pear as a party about 100 B. C., were descendants of 
the faithful priest Zadok, of King David’s time. In 
Jesus’s day they were the aristocracy of the priest- 
hood, distinguished by birth, wealth and official posi- 
tion. It has been said that nothing definite is known 
about the political and religious views of the Sadducees 
except what is recorded by their opponents. From New 
Testament sources we learn that they repudiated the 
Pharisaic oral law, hated the Pharisees for their con- 
servative traditionalism, and were the rationalists and 
materialists of their day (Acts 23:8). Their disbelief 
in the doctrine of the resurrection was at the bottom of 
the puzzling question asked of Jesus. The chief priests 
in the time of Christ were of this party, and rivaled 
the Pharisees in their hatred and persecution of Jesus. 
It is to be noted, however, that Jesus never came into 
direct conflict with the Sadducees till the very close of 
his ministry, when they joined with their own op- 
ponents, the Pharisees, who had long been hostile to 
him. 

“With the destruction of the temple and the state, 
the Sadducees as a party no longer had an object for 
which to live. They disappear from history, though 
their views were partly maintained and echoed by the 


94 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


Samaritans, with whom they are frequently identi- 
fied.” 

The beliefs of the Sadducees. They did not believe 
in development or a continuous revelation. God had 
spoken to Moses, but had been silent ever since. And 
so they were exceedingly zealous for Moses. They had 
hitherto left the conflict with Jesus to the Pharisees, 
rather pleased that their rivals should be so be- 
wildered ; but now that Caiaphas had declared his death 
to be necessary, they would confront and overpower 
him with the authority of their Lawgiver. 

They selected their point carefully. Jesus had ex- 
plicitly affirmed his belief in a future state. But the 
Sadducees did not find the belief in Moses; found it, 
indeed, conspicuously absent and explicitly disproved. 
So they elaborated their most conclusive argument, 
and presented the case of the woman with seven hus- 
bands. If there is a future state where all these 
husbands are alive, and this poor over-married woman 
alive also, “ whose wife shall she be? Come now, good 
Master, tell us.” They did not raise the question 
whether immortal relations must be adjusted to pro- 
visional arrangements; they took for granted that a 
temporary and barbarous expedient was an eternal 
law. 

Jesus lifted the question into a region far above the 
heaven of the Sadducean spirit. In the resurrection 
men were not governed by the law of Moses ; they were 
“at the angels of God.” Their natures determined 
their relations, affinities created society. And the 
Highest was the regulative nature. The living God 
involved the life of those that lived to him. Men who 
lived in communion with him became as needful to him 
as he was to them. And this truth was expressed in 


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95 


the ancient saying, “lam the God of Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob.” He conld not be their God unless he was 
a real Being to them ; they could not be real beings to 
him unless they still lived. To be the God of them, 
he must be a God to them ; and he could be a God only 
to living persons, not to silent memories or empty 
names. 

J esus thus found immortality at the very heart of the 
Mosaic law. The man who is made in the image of God 
is made to be as God, and be like him forever. — Fair- 
bairn, Studies in the Life of Christ, pp. 235-236. 

“His brother should take the wife.” (Mk. 12:19.) 
The marriage of a widow by the brother of the de- 
ceased husband is in accordance with the ancient 
Levirate Law, so called from the Latin levir , meaning 
brother-in-law. In Lev. 20:21 marriage with a de- 
ceased brother’s wife is forbidden, but Deut. 25:5, 6 
names certain conditions under which such a marriage 
becomes a duty. When a man died without male is- 
sue, his brother, if living on the same family estate, 
should marry the widow, and their first-born son should 
preserve the name, and inherit the property, of the 
man who died childless. We find from the book of 
Ruth that if there was no brother, the duty of preserv- 
ing the name of the deceased extended to kindred 
farther removed. 

This marriage custom is now practically obsolete 
among the Jews, but still prevails in Abyssinia and 
some parts of Asia. There are evidences that it once 
existed in ancient Italy. 

“But are as the angels of God” (Lk. 20:36.) But 
while sexual relationships have no office in heaven, it 
does not follow that those who have loved each other 
on earth as husbands and wives are unrelated by ties 


96 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


of special affection. The physical ties, whose purpose 
is the perpetuity of the race on earth, have no mission 
in heaven; but our loved ones are our very own, for 
time and eternity. 

The plots against Jesus . All the different parties 
united their forces and put their heads together and 
concocted schemes by means of which this young 
prophet should be brought to prison. It is an inter- 
esting fact that notwithstanding Jesus was speaking 
constantly in public for three years, not one of his 
enemies was able to catch him in his speech, and when 
at last they convicted him they had to do it on a 
trumped-up lie. — Charles E. Jefferson, The Character 
of Jesus, pp. 90-1. 

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT. 

But the Pharisees when they heard that he had put the 
Sadducees to silence, gathered themselves together. 

And one of the scribes, a lawyer, came and heard them 
questioning together, and knowing that he had answered 
them well, asked him, “What commandment is the first 
of all ?** 

Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord 
our God, the Lord, is one, and thou shalt love the Lord 
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with 
all thy mind, and with all thy strength.* The second is like, 
namely, this, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself/ 
There is none other commandment greater than these. On 
these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the 
prophets/* 

And the scribe said unto him, “Of a truth, Teacher, thou 
hast well said that he is one: and there is none other but 
he: and to love him with all the heart, and with all the 
understanding and with all the strength, and to love his 
neighbor as himself, is much more than all whole burnt- 
offerings and sacrifices/* 

And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said 
unto him, “Thou are not far from the kingdom of God/* 
(His Last Week, p. 13; Mt. 22:34-40; Mk. 12:28-34). 


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And one of the scribes came . (Mk. 12:28.) Print- 
ing presses were introduced into Syria more than a 
hundred years ago, and the trade in printed books now 
is of some importance; nevertheless the scribes and 
their profession are not extinct; they are still in evi- 
dence, for they are needed still. The Jew can, and 
does, purchase a printed copy of the entire sacred 
Scriptures for a single dollar, and yet, in some circum- 
stances, he pays down from $150 to $200 for a single 
copy of the Pentateuch, written by a scribe on prepared 
skins or parchment. A scribe, moreover, is more than 
a copyist ; he is a student of the Torah, and an exposi- 
tor of the sacred text. He is an ecclesiastical and reli- 
gious adviser, and is therefore an authority on mat- 
ters Scriptural or having a bearing on Scripture, and 
to this extent he is a ‘ ‘lawyer,’ ’ as he is called in Mt. 
22:35. — Mrs. Ghosn-el-Howie in S. S. Times. 

“What commandment is the first of all?” (Mk. 12: 
28.) The Greek translation of this passage implies that 
Jesus was being questioned as to the quality of the first 
commandment, and this is highly probable, as the Jew- 
ish rabbis were wont to distinguish some command- 
ments as heavy, others as light. They had enlarged the 
laws of Moses until there came to be recognized by all 
their schools 613 commandments, the number of letters 
in the decalogue. These, according to Rabbi Simlai, a 
Palestinian haggadist, were divided as follows: 365 
prohibitions, equal to the number of days in the year, 
and 248 positive precepts, corresponding to the num- 
ber of bones of the human body. Jesus taught that 
there is one all-inclusive commandment— love to God 
and man. 

“Hear, 0 Israel , the Lord is one, etc ” (Mk. 12:29.) 
These words, taken from Deut. 6:4, 5, were distin- 


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DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


guished by Jesus as the first half of the great all-es- 
sential law of love. They were used at the beginning 
of morning and evening prayer in the temple, as a call 
to worship. From the initial Hebrew word, the pas- 
sage came to be called the 4 ‘ Shema. ’ 9 This command- 
ment was taught to Hebrew children as soon as they 
were old enough to speak. Together with the name of 
the Deity, it was written on the parchment called the 
Mezuzah and enclosed in the cylindrical box attached to 
every devout Jew’s doorpost. In the same form it was 
enclosed also in the phylacteries — the little leather 
boxes worn by the Jew upon his left arm and on his 
forehead. All this was done in accordance with direc- 
tions given in Deut. 6:7, 8. 

Question concerning the greatest commandment . 
(Mt. 22:34-40.) The rabbis taught that there were 
great and small commands in the law — the one hard 
and weighty, the other easy and of less moment. If 
J esus answered as the Pharisees hoped, he would once 
more commit himself, as an enemy of the traditions, 
and expose himself to new charges. 

His reply, as always, goes to the root of the matter, 
simplifying the whole sweep of “the Ten Words” into 
brief and easily remembered principles. He avoided 
the least approach to anything that could give offense 
to the most zealous supporter of the Old Testament, 
and, at the same time, gave no handle for accusation 
of any slight of the rabbinical precepts. 

He had once more shown his greatness as a teacher, 
by summing up our whole duty in the fundamental 
conceptions of religion and morality; in love to God, 
which is also love to his children, our fellow men.— 
Geikie, Life of Christ, 11:423-4. 

Love to God and man. The basis of all right living is 


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laid in right relation to God. The one right relation 
to him is love. That love must be one and intense, 
permeating and hallowing all the nature, emotional, in- 
tellectual, corporeal. All duties to man are included 
in the duty of love, and the love which we owe to all 
men, and which natural selfishness hinders our giving, 
will not be given until we are, so to speak, decentralized 
from self as our center, and find our sun, round which 
we move, in God. The love which on its upper side is 
directed to God, has an under side which shines down 
and out on the world of men. Philanthropy is the ves- 
ture which love to God wears among men. And he who 
loves has fulfilled the law. — Alex. McLaren, D. D., in S. 
S. Times. 

“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Mt. 22: 
39.) This second commandment does not stand in the 
Old Testament in the commanding position of the first, 
but is brought in only incidentally in Lev. 19 :18, where, 
moreover, neighbor is evidently restricted to a brother 
Jew. Jesus puts it in a commanding position, and 
widens the meaning of “neighbor” to “fellowman.” 


THE UNANSWERABLE QUESTION OF JESUS. 

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together as Jesus 
taught in the temple, he asked them a question, saying, 
“What think ye of the Christ? whose son is he?” 

They say unto him, “The son of David.” 

He saith unto them, “How then doth David in the Spirit 
call him Lord, saying, 

‘The Lord said unto my Lord, 

Sit thou on my right hand, 

Till I put thine enemies underneath thy feet?^ 

If David then calleth him Lord, how is he his son?” 

And no one was able to answer him a word, neither durst 
any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. 

And the common people heard him gladly. (His Last 
Week, p. 13; Mt. 22:41-46; Mk. 12.35-37; Lk. 20: 41-44). 


100 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


“The Lord said unto my Lord.” (Mt. 22 :44.) This 
passage quoted by Jesus is the first verse of Psalm 
110, commonly believed to be Messianic. The first 
word translated “Lord” is the Hebrew for Jehovah; 
the second “Lord” refers to the Messiah. 

“If David call him Lord , how is he his son?” (Mt. 
22:45.) The question repeated and pressed was no 
catch-question, such as the Pharisees and Sadducees 
had addressed to him. It tended to show that the 
Messiah could not be a mere temporal sovereign, nor in 
fact a mere man. According to their conception of the 
Messiah the question was unanswerable. 

All the select wisdom and ingenuity of the learned 
and ruling classes, in both the great parties, had 
brought their most puzzling questions to the young 
teacher from Nazareth, who had never studied in any 
of the schools, and he not only gave in every case an 
answer of astonishing depth and clearness, which sent 
the wisest men away in wondering reflection, but at 
length retorted by a question which no one could an- 
swer and which seemed plainly to indicate that their 
views of the Messiah were radically defective. 

Our Lord went right on discoursing, attacking the 
ruling classes with the most outspoken and unsparing 
severity, but they dared not any more interrupt or in- 
quire. They were helpless in argument, and as usual 
with foiled and angry disputants who will not be con- 
vinced, they had no hope but in violence.— Broadus, 
Am. Commentary, Matthew. 

Jesus’ unanswerable question. (Mt. 22:41-46.) In 
that Psalm (110) occurs the expression, “The Lord 
{Jehovah) said unto my Lord ( Adonai ) ‘Sit thou on 
my right hand.’ How then could the Messiah be 
David’s son? Could Abraham have called Isaac and 


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Jacob and Joseph, or any of his own descendants, near 
or remote, his “Lord?” If not, how came David to do 
so ? There could be but one answer — because that son 
would be divine, not human — David’s son by human 
birth, but David’s Lord by divine subsistence. 

But they could not find this simple explanation, nor, 
indeed, any other; they could not find it, because Jesus 
was their Messiah, and they had rejected him. So here 
again their wisdom was utterly at fault, and though 
they claimed so haughtily to be leaders of the people, 
yet, even on a topic so ordinary and so important as 
their Messianic hopes, they were convicted, for the 
second time on a single day, of being “blind leaders of 
the blind;” — Farrar, Life of Christ, ch. 52. 

Authorship of Psalm 110 . Psalm 110 was always 
believed to be Messianic, and to have been written by 
David. That it is Messianic is a matter of spiritual 
interpretation; and, as Jesus here gives this doctrine 
the sanction of his authority, no loyal Christian will 
consider that he is free to question it. The authorship 
of the Psalm is a question of criticism; and nothing 
in the method of Christ’s teaching, or in the contents 
of Scripture generally, warrants us in believing that 
he here frees us from the duty of investigating a prob- 
lem which is capable of being solved by our own in- 
dustry and acuteness. We have no right to expect that 
Scripture will save us from the discipline of patient 
research by supplying us with infallible answers to 
questions of history, chronology, geology, and the like. 
. . . It should be noticed that, while Jesus affirms 

both the inspiration and the Messianic character of 
Ps. 110, yet the argumentative question with which he 
concludes need not be understood as asserting that 
David is the author of it, although it seems to imply 


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DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


this. It may mean no more than that the scribes have 
not fairly faced what their own principles involve. 
Here is a problem, with which they ought to be quite 
familiar, and of which they ought to be able to give a 
solution. It is their position, and not his, that is open 
to criticism. — Plummer, Internat. Crit. Com., Luke, pp. 
472 , 473 . 

DISCOURSE OF JESUS AGAINST THE SCRIBES 
AND PHARISEES. 

Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples, 
in the hearing of all the people, saying, “The scribes and 
the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat : all things therefore what- 
soever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye 
after their works; for they say, and do not. Yea, they 
bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them 
on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move 
them with their finger. But all their works they do to be 
seen of men: for they make broad their phylacteries, and 
enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the chief 
place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and 
the salutations in the market-places, and to be called of 
men, ‘Rabbi.’ They devour widows’ houses, and for a 
pretense make long prayers, these shall receive greater 
condemnation. But be not ye called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is 
your teacher, and all ye are brethren. And call no man 
your father on the earth: for one is your Father, even he 
who is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is 
your master, even the Christ. But he that is greatest 
among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall 
exalt himself shall be humbled : and whosoever shall hum- 
ble himself shall be exalted. 

“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 
because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for 
ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are 
entering in to enter. 

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for 
ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when 
he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell 
than yourselves. 

“Woe unto you, ye blind guides, that say, ‘Whosoever 
shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever 


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103 


shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.* Ye 
fools and blind : for which is greater, the gold, or the tem- 
ple that hath sanctified the gold? And, ‘Whosoever shall 
swear by the altar, it is nothing ; but whosoever shall swear 
by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor/ Ye blind: for 
which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the 
gift? He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth 
by it, and by all things thereon. And he that sweareth 
by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth 
therein. And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by 
the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for 
ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone 
the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and 
faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have 
left the other undone. Ye blind guides, that strain out the 
gnat, and swallow the camel ! 

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for 
ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but 
within they are full from extortion and excess. Thou blind 
Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the 
platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also. 

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for 
ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly ap- 
pear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, 
and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear 
righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy 
and iniquity. 

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for 
ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the 
tombs of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been in the 
days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers 
with them in the blood of the prophets/ Wherefore ye 
witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew 
the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 
Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape 
the judgment of hell? Therefore, behold, I send unto you 
prophets, and wise men, and scribes: Some of them shall 
ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in 
your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: that 
upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the 
earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood 
of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between 


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the sanctuary and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All 
these things shall come upon this generation. 

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and 
stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I 
have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gath- 
ereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say 
unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, 
‘Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.’ ” (His 
Last Week, pp. 14-16; Mt. 23:1-39; Mk. 12:38-40; Lk. 20: 
45-47' 

The discourse against the scribes and Pharisees. 
(Mt. ch. 23.) This passage, terrible as it is, commends 
itself to all that is noblest and best in us. Who is 
there who does not thank God for this scathing de- 
nunciation of that most hateful of all abominations — 
hypocrisy? See how he brands it in every sentence — 
“ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! ’ ’ — 
how piece by piece he shows their miserable life to be 
a lie. 

‘ ‘ Hypocrites !” because you profess to sit in Moses’ 
seat, to have the key of knowledge, to know the way of 
life yourselves, and show it to others; and all this 
profession is a lie( v. 13). “ Hypocrites !” because 
your pretended charity is a lie, aggravated by the 
forms of devotion with which it is masked, while the 
essence of it is most sordid avarice (v. 14). 1 ‘ Hypo- 
crites !” because your zeal for God is a lie, being really 
a zeal for the devil, your converts being perverts worse 
than yourselves (v. 15). “Hypocrites !” because your 
morality is a lie, making the law of God of none effect 
by your miserable casuistry (vs. 16:22). “Hypo- 
crites !” because your devotion is a lie, consisting mere- 
ly in punctilious attention to the minutest forms, while 
the weighty matters of the law you set aside. — Gibson, 
Expositor’s Bible, Matthew, pp. 333-4. 


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105 


“They make broad their phylacteries.” (Mt. 23:5.) 
From early times devout Jews have been accustomed, 
while engaged in prayer, to wear upon their forehead 
and left arm little leather boxes, called phylacteries, 
containing certain Old Testament passages remind- 
ing them of the unity of God and of their obligations 
to their Preserver. Some writers believe these phylac- 
teries to be a counterpart of the high priest’s diadem 
and breast-plate; others, that their use was proposed 
by Moses as an improvement upon the superstitious 
custom that the Egyptians had of wearing amulets up- 
on the forehead and arm to protect them from danger. 

The phylactery is made as follows : A piece of skin, 
taken from a ceremonially clean cow, is thoroughly 
soaked in pure water, then stretched over a $ube- 
shaped block, the sides of which may vary in size from 
one-half to one and one-half inches. It is then cut to 
the right size and sewed while it is wet. When it is 
dry, the block is removed and the leather holds its 
shape. The phylactery for the head is made in four 
compartments, and is marked on one side with the He- 
brew letter shin, which has three prongs — a reminder 
of the three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 
On the other side of the box is a four pronged shin — a 
reminder of God, whose name in Hebrew is in four 
letters, Y H W H. Beginning on the side with the four 
pronged letter, the box contains these four passages of 
Scripture : Exodus 13 :1-10 ; Exodus 13 :11-16 ; Deut. 
6 :4-9 ; Deut. 11 :13-21. These passages are written on 
pieces of white parchment, each one of which is tied 
with the clean white hair of a cow. Then the box, after 
being supplied with a brim, base, and flaps for holding 
the straps, is sewed up, and just twelve stitches must 
be used, for the twelve tribes of Israel. This box is 


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worn upon the forehead, with the supporting straps, 
which must be tied in a peculiar fashion, hanging down 
behind. 

The arm-phylactery contains the same four passages 
of Scripture, on a single sheet of parchment, and is 
worn on the bare left arm, above the elbow, and close to 
the body, so that it may rest near the heart. The strap 
that holds it in place must be wound above the elbow 
three times, and below seven times, once in a three 
pronged shin and once in a four pronged shin, then 
thrice around the middle finger, once round the wrist, 
and, last of all, around the palm of the hand. It took 
some practice to do it just as the Jews of Jesus’ time 
thought it ought to be done, and they were very par- 
ticular about the length of the strap, and the size of the 
box, and the words they uttered when adjusting them. 
When Jesus accused the Pharisees of making broad 
their phylacteries, it is believed that his reference was 
to the leather straps described above. 

Both boxes are colored a deep black. 

The law recommended that phylacteries be worn 
daily at family worship, excepting on the Sabbath and 
on feast days, when there were other reminders of the 
word of God. They could not be worn in a cemetery or 
any unseemly place, nor when one was eating a 
regular meal or sleeping. Females, slaves and minors 
were exempt from wearing them. 

“Be ye not called Rabbi.” (Mt. 23:8.) This is 
probably not a condemnation of the use of distinguish- 
ing titles for the clergy, but a warning against an in- 
ordinate craving for ecclesiastical superiority. 

“Call no man your father ” (Mt. 23:9.) Worthy 
men of a past generation, also distinguished teachers, 
were often honored by the title “ Father.” Jesus was 


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107 


cautioning the J ews against hero-worship, lest it inter- 
fere with love to God. 

“Ye tithe mint and anise and cummin.” (Mt. 23: 
23.) A tithe is the tenth part of anything, set apart 
for some special (usually sacred) use. Under the 
Mosiac Law the Hebrews were required to tithe all 
agricultural products, such as grain, wine and oil 
(Deut. 14:23). These were taken to a central sanc- 
tuary and eaten by the head of the household and his 
family; or, the tithe could be sold, but the price ob- 
tained could be spent only on food, drink and ointment 
necessary for the sacrificial feast. Every third year 
the tithe was used for the poor. 4 4 In later J udaism two 
tithes were levied — one for the Levites; the other, to 
be consumed by the off erer. ’ ’ 

In accordance with a rigid observance of the law laid 
down in Lev. 27 :30, even the smallest herbs were tithed 
by the scrupulous Pharisees of our Lord’s day. Such 
zeal would not be blameworthy, had it not joined to 
itself a disregard of the spirit of the law as applied 
to matters far more weighty. 

“Strain out the gnat .” (Mt. 23 :24.) In this expres- 
sion reference is made to the custom of straining out 
small insects from the native wine, either at manufac- 
ture or before drinking it. 

Straining out gnats and swallowing camels. (Mt. 
23:23, 24.) He who unduly estimates the form will 
soon be enslaved by the form. The student of human 
nature, who considers the sense-conditions under which 
we are set, will argue that it must always be so. He 
who observes Christian life, or skillfully reads personal 
experience, will declare that it is so. Once let religious 
forms and ceremonies control conduct, . . . and 

they will run as does loosened fire; they will overlay 


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the spiritual feeling; they will absorb all the powers; 
and become supreme interests ; and when the spirit is 
thus overlaid, the result too often follows which we 
see in these Pharisees — exaggerated scruples about 
exact and minute forms going along with a demoraliz- 
ing indifference to moral purity. — Pulpit Commentary, 
Matthew, vol. ii, p. 427. 

“Ye cleanse the outside of the cup.” (Mt. 23:25.) 
Without doubt reference is here made to the undue im- 
portance which the Pharises attached to the ceremonial 
cleanness or uncleanness of utensils. 

Building the tombs of the prophets. (Mt. 23:29-34.) 
A great man is in advance of his age, and only the later 
age, which has been in some measure educated up to 
him by the very influence of his life and teaching, is in 
a position to comprehend him. But while all this is 
natural, it is not the less unfortunate. What is the 
use of honors heaped on the grave of the silent dead? 
The laurels we pile on their tombs cannot bring joy to 
those who are no longer with us. There is a grim irony 
in the common custom of waiting for their death be- 
fore recognizing the merits of the best men. The ap- 
plause that bursts out so rapturously after they have 
left the stage is of no comfort to them now. It would 
have been better to have shown them more kindness 
during their lifetime. In homelier regions much heart- 
breaking might be spared, and many bitter regrets 
avoided, if we would take care to show the affection 
and forbearance for our dear ones in their lifetime 
which we shall vainly yearn to render them when it is 
too late.— Pulpit Commentary, Matthew, vol. ii, pp 
413, 414. 

“Whited sepulchers.” (Mt. 23 : 27.) It is said to have 
been a custom of the Hebrews, on a certain day in the 


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109 


springtime, the 15th of the month Adar, to whitewash 
the graves of the dead, in order to make them so con- 
spicuous that no passer-by might unintentionally pass 
over them and thus contract ceremonial defilement. 
The idea of adding to their beauty by this treatment, as 
suggested in Mt. 23:27, was probably only incidental. 
Visitors to modern Jerusalem notice how the white- 
washed slabs covering Mohammedan graves in the 
city’s suburbs easily attract attention, as they glitter 
in the strong Oriental sunlight. 

“The blood of Zechariah.” (Mt. 23:35.) In citing 
the cases of Abel (Gen. 4: 1-8) and Zechariah (II 
Chron. 24:20-22), found respectively in the first and 
in one of the last books of the Old Testament Canon 
of Scripture, Jesus seems to indicate that all through 
their religious history the Jews have been guilty of 
shedding innocent blood. The murder of Zechariah 
left a deep impress upon Jewish tradition. 

This Zechariah of II Chronicles, the son of the high 
priest Jehoada, is apparently the one referred to by 
Jesus, but if so either Matthew or some glossator has 
confused him with Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, a 
prophet contemporary with Haggai. 

Woes against the Pharisees. The pictures of the os- 
tentatious, place-hunting, title-loving rabbi ; of the hy- 
pocrite, who makes long prayers and devours widows ’ 
houses; of the zealot, who puts himself to infinite 
trouble to make converts, only to make his converts 
worse rather than better men ; of the J esuitical 
scribe, who teaches that the gold of the tem- 
ple is a more sacred, binding thing to swear by than 
the temple itself; of the Pharisee, whose conscience is 
strict or lax as suits his convenience; of the whited 
sepulchres, fair without, full within of dead men's 


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DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


bones ; of the men whose piety manifests itself in mur- 
dering living prophets and garnishing the sepulchres 
of dead ones, — are moral daguerreotypes which will 
stand the minutest inspection. 

The direct object of the speaker was not to expose 
the blind guides of Israel, but to save from delusion the 
people whom they were misguiding to their ruin. It is 
worthy of notice how carefully discriminating the 
speaker was in the counsel which he gave them. He 
told them that what he objected to was not so much the 
teaching of their guides, as their lives. They might 
follow all their precepts with comparative impunity, 
but it would be fatal to follow their example. — Bruce, 
Training of the Twelve, pp. 327-331. 

Hypocrites! “Hypocrites !" because your whole 
demeanor is a lie, all fair without, like a whited 
sepulchre, while within ye are “full of dead men's 
bones, and of all uncleanness ’ ’ (vs. 25-28). “Hypo- 
crites!" because your pretended reverence for the 
prophets is a lie, for had you lived in the days of your 
fathers you would have done as they did, as is plain 
from the way in which you are acting now; for you 
build the tombs of the dead prophets and put to death 
the living ones (vs. 29-31). 

The sin branded, sentence follows : “Fill ye up then 
the measure of your fathers." Since you will not be 
saved, there is nothing for it but that you go on in sin 
to the bitter end; serpents, “forever hissing at the 
heels of the holy," a brood of vipers, with no hope now 
of escaping the judgment of Gehenna ! — Gibson, Expos. 
Bible, Matthew, p. 335. 

THE WIDOW’S TWO MITES. 

And he sat down over against the treasury, and he looked 
up and beheld how the multitude cast money into the 


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111 


treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And 
there came a certain poor widow, and she cast in thither 
two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him 
his disciples, and said unto them, “Verily, I say unto you, 
This poor widow cast in more than all they that are cast- 
ing into the treasury: for they all did cast in of their 
superfluity; but she of her want did cast in all that she 
had, even all her living.” (His Last Week, p. 16; Mk. 12: 
41-44; Lk. 21:1-4). 

The Court of the Women. The Court of the Women 
was a space two hundred feet square, open to the sky, 
paved with marble and enclosed on the north, east, and 
south by colonnades, outside of which on the north and 
south ran a continuous line of white marble structures 
used for various purposes. The Gate Beautiful bi- 
sected its eastern boundary and faced a flight of fifteen 
steps, which, on the opposite side of the square, led up 
to the Court of Israel. 

In the last-named court the Lord sat down. The 
whole of the Women’s Court was in his view. Along 
its north and south sides at regular intervals were 
bronze receptacles for money. They resembled huge 
trumpets standing mouth upward on flaring bases. 
Into them the people dropped their pecuniary offer- 
ings. Each receptacle bore an inscription stating the 
purpose for which its contents would be used. — Wil- 
liam Burnet Wright, The Heart of the Master, pp. 76-7. 

Two mites. (Mk. 12:42.) A minute coin, called in 
Greek the “lepton,” is supposed to have been the kind 
cast by the widow into the temple treasury. The 
“mite” was doubtless a popular name for this smallest 
of the Maccabsean coins, which bore on one side double 
cornucopiae, with a poppy head in the center, and on 
the obverse the words in ancient Hebrew, “John, the 
High Priest, and the Commonwealth of the Jews,” sur- 


112 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


rounded by a wreath of olive leaves. They were struck 
in the reign of J ohn Hyrcanus and his immediate suc- 
cessors, in the latter part of the second century B. C. 
Some coins of this type did not weigh more than 15 or 


PLAN OF THE TEMPLE. 



20 grains. The widow's offering of two mites was 
worth about two-fifths of a cent. 

The “farthing” to which two mites were equal, and 
which was the price of two sparrows, was probably the 
quadrans, a small bronze coin of the Roman procurat- 
ors. 

“All her living.” (Mk. 12 :42.) It was “all her liv- 



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113 


mg,” perhaps all that she had been able to save out of 
her scanty housekeeping; more probably, all that she 
had to live upon for that day, and till she wrought for 
more. And of this she now made humble offering unto 
God. He spake not to her words of encouragement, for 
she walked by faith; he offered not promise of re- 
turn, for her reward was in heaven. She knew not 
that any had seen it — for the knowledge of eyes 
turned on her, even his, would have flushed with shame 
the pure cheek of her love; and any word, conscious 
notice, or promise would have marred and turned 
aside the rising incense of her sacrifice. But to all 
time has it remained in the church, like the perfume 
of Mary’s alabaster that filled the house, this deed of 
self-denying sacrifice. . . . 

Though he spake not to her, yet the sunshine of his 
words must have fallen into the dark desolateness of 
her heart; and, though perhaps she knew not why, it 
must have been a happy day, a day of rich feast in 
the heart, that when she gave up “her whole living” 
unto God. And so, perhaps, is every sacrifice for God 
all the more blessed, when we know not of its blessed- 
ness. — Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus, vol. ii, 
pp. 388, 389. 

THE GENTILES SEEK JESUS. 

Now there were certain Greeks among those that went 
up to worship at the feast : these therefore came to Philip, 
who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, 
“Sir, we would see Jesus.” 

Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: Andrew cometh, and 
Philip, and they tell Jesus. 

And Jesus answereth them, saying, “The hour is come, 
that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I 
say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth 
and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth 
much fruit. He that loveth his life loseth it : and he that 


114 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 
If any man serve me, let him follow me : and where I am, 
there shall also my servant be. if any man serve me, him 
will the Father honor. Now is my soul troubled; and what 
shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this 
cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name.” 

There came therefore a voice out of heaven, saying, 
“I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 

The multitude, therefore, that stood by, and heard it, 
said that it had thundered: others said, “An angel hath 
spoken to him.” 

Jesus answered and said, “This voice hath not come for 
my sake, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this 
world : now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And 
I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto 
myself.” 

But this he said, signifying by what manner of death 
he should die. 

The multitude therefore answered him, “We have heard 
out of the law that the Christ abideth forever: and how 
sayest thou, ‘The Son of man must be lifted up’? who is 
this Son of man?” 

Jesus therefore said unto them, “Yet a little while is the 
light among you. Walk while ye have the light that dark- 
ness overtake you not : and he that walketh in the darkness 
knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light, 
believe on the light, that ye may become sons of light.” 

These things spake Jesus, and he departed and hid him- 
self from them. (His Last Week, pp. 16-17; Jn. 12:20-36.) 

Certain Greeks. (Jn. 12:20) These were, undoubt- 
edly, Greek proselytes, not Grecian Jews, who had come 
from a distance to celebrate the Passover, going first 
to Philip, perhaps because attracted by his Greek 
name. Nothing is known about them except what is 
recorded here. An ancient legend says that they were 
an embassy from Abgarus, king of Edessa, who, hear- 
ing that Jesus was in danger in his own country, of- 
fered him safety if he would journey thither. The 
legend further tells how Luke visited this king and 
painted for him a portrait of Jesus. 


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115 


The Gentiles seeking Jesus . (Jn. 12:20, 21.) He 
knew it was his Father's will, and, when the hour ar- 
rived, he bent his steps with sublime fortitude to the 
fatal spot. It was not, however, without a terrible con- 
flict of feelings ; the ebb and flow of the most diverse 
emotions — anguish and ecstasy, the most prolonged 
and crushing depression, the most triumphant joy and 
the most majestic peace — swayed hither and thither 
within him like the moods of a vast ocean. . . . An 

incident which happened near the close of his last 
visit to the temple caused him a great shock of in- 
stinctive pain. Some Greeks who had come to the 
feast expressed through two of the Apostles their de- 
sire for an interview with him. There were many 
heathens in different parts of the Greek-speaking 
world who at this period had found refuge from the 
atheism and disgusting immorality of the times in 
the religion of the Jews settled in their midst, and had 
accordingly become proselytes of the worship of Je- 
hovah. To this class these inquirers belonged. But 
their application shook him with thoughts which they 
little dreamed of.— Stalker, Life of Christ, 154, 155. 

The request of the Greeks. (Jn. 12:20-22.) That 
these were Greeks, not Grecian Jews, is evident from 
the word employed to describe the Greeks, which is 
one signifying nationality, not location ; that they were 
proselytes is evident from the characterization as 
among them which were accustomed to come up to 
worship at the feast. They were of the same character 
as the centurion whose son Christ healed, the Cor- 
nelius who sent for Peter, and the eunuch to whom 
Philip preached. The pilgrims to Jerusalem were 
increased considerably, in the increasing decay of the 
polytheistic worship of Greece and Rome, with such 


116 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


converts to the simple and sublime monotheism of 
Judea. 

Why they came to Philip is purely a matter of con- 
jecture. In fact, Philip and Andrew are both Greek 
names, and the only names of Greek origin among the 
Twelve. They assume that a private interview will 
be readily granted them. That this is what they de- 
sire is evident, because Christ was publicly teaching 
in the temple during the four days preceding his ar- 
rest, and therefore it was very easy for them to both 
see and hear him in public. — Abbott, Commentary, 
John, p. 155. 

Jesus’ response and deep emotion . (Jn. 12:22-32.) 
Only two or three times in the course of his ministry 
does he seem to have been brought into contact with 
representatives of the world lying outside the limits 
of his own people, his mission being exclusively to the 
lost sheep of the house of Israel. But on every such 
occasion he met with a faith, a courtesy and nobility, 
which he himself contrasted with the unbelief, rude- 
ness, and pettiness of the Jews. How could he help 
longing to pass beyond the narrow bounds of Pales- 
tine and visit nations of such simple and generous dis- 
position f He must often have seen visions of a career 
like that afterwards achieved by Paul, when he bore 
the glad tidings from land to land, and evangelized 
Athens, Rome, and the great centers of the West. 
What joy such a career would have been to Jesus, who 
felt within himself the energy and overflowing be- 
nevolence which it would have exactly suited. But 
death was at hand to extinguish all. 

He could see beyond death, terrible and absorbing 
as the prospect of it was, and assure himself that the 
effect of his self-sacrifice would be infinitely grander 


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117 


and more extensive than that of a personal mission to 
the heathen world could ever have been. Besides, 
death was what his Father had appointed for him. 
This was the last and deepest consolation with which 
he soothed his humble and trustful soul on this as on 
every similar occasion. “Now is my soul troubled, 
and what shall I say? Father, save me from this 
hour : but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, 
glorify Thyself.’ ’ — Stalker, Life of Christ, 155. 

“The Christ abideth ever.” (Jn. 12:34.) Calling to 
mind such passages as Ps. 89 :29 ; 110 :4; Dan. 2 :44 and 
7 :13, 14, the spectators were unable to understand how 
the Messiah could die a violent death. 

The Way of the Cross . (Jn. 12:23-26.) He checks, 
therefore, the shout of exultation which he sees rising 
to the lips of his disciples with a sobering reflection 
which meant — Do not fancy that I have nothing to do 
but to accept the sceptre which these men offer, to seat 
myself on the world’s throne. The world’s throne is 
the Cross. These men will not know my power until 
I die. Like the corn of wheat, I must die if I would 
be abundantly fruitful. It is through death my whole 
living power can be disengaged and can accomplish all 
possibilities. 

The disciples did not understand that the law of the 
seed is the law of human life. They thought they had 
never such promise in their Master’s life as at this 
hour: seedtime seemed to them to be past, and the 
harvest at hand. Their Master seemed to be fairly 
launched on the tide that was to carry him to the high- 
est pinnacle of human glory. And so he was, but not, 
as they thought, by simply yielding himself to be set 
as King and to receive adoration from Jew and Gen- 
tile. He saw with different eyes, and that it was a 


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different exaltation which would win for him lasting 
sovereignty. — Dods, Expos. Bible, J ohn, pp. 33-37. 

The voice from heaven . (Jn. 12:27-33.) The chill 
shiver of approaching death passes over Jesus; he 
tastes its bitterness, and passing from joy to sadness 
with that sensitiveness of impression which bespeaks 
the full reality of his humanity, he closes the paean of 
triumph with a cry of anguish: “Father, save me 
from this hour.” This is the earnest of the soul-agony 
of Gethsemane. But scarcely had he given utterance 
to his unreserved submission to the will of God in the 
further cry: “Father, glorify thy name,” when a mys- 
terious voice is heard. The people said that it thun- 
dered, but to Jesus it conveyed an answering assurance 
of holy approbation from the Father: “I have both 
glorified it, and will glorify it again.” Evidently 
these divine words were spoken only to the soul, and 
were audible to the spiritual sense alone ; they did not 
strike on the outward ears, else the whole people would 
have caught them. All agitation passes at once from 
the heart of Jesus. This wicked world, which is about 
to condemn him, he sees already judged, and its prince 
ignominiously cast out, while the cross rises before his 
eyes as the symbol of victory. — Pressense, Jesus 
Christ, pp. 435-436. 

Love and duty. It was Jesus who summoned Love 
to meet the severe demands of Faith, and wedded for 
the first time the ideas of Passion and Righteousness. 
Hitherto Righteousness had been spotless and admir- 
able, but cold as ice; Passion had been sweet and 
strong, but unchastened and wanton. Jesus suddenly 
identifies Righteousness with himself, and has brought 
it to pass that no man can love him without loving 
Righteousness. Jesus clothes himself with the com- 


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mandments, and each is transfigured into a grace. He 
illustrates his Decalogue in the washing of feet, and 
compels his disciples to follow his example. “If I 
then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, 
ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.” By one 
felicitous stroke he makes Love and Law synonymous, 
and Duty, which had always been respectable, now be- 
comes lovely. It is a person, not a dogma, which in- 
vites my faith; a person, not a code, which asks for 
obedience. Jesus stands in the way of every sel- 
fishness ; he leads in the path of every sacrifice ; he is 
crucified in every act of sin; he is glorified in every 
act of holiness. — John Watson, The Mind of the Mas- 
ter, pp. 187-8. 

Life through death. (Jn. 12:20-26.) The law of 
the seed is the law of human life. Use your life for 
present and selfish gratification and to satisfy your 
present cravings, and you lose it forever. Renounce 
self, yield yourself to God, spend your life for the com- 
mon good, irrespective of recognition or the lack of it, 
personal pleasure or the absence of it, and although 
your life may thus seem to be lost, it is finding its best 
and highest development and passes into life eternal. 
Your life is the seed now, not a developed plant, and 
it can become a developed plant only by your taking 
heart to cast it from you and sow it in the fertile soil 
of other men’s needs. This will seem, indeed, to dis- 
integrate it and fritter it away, and leave it a con- 
temptible, obscure, forgotten thing; but it does, in 
fact, set free the vital forces that are in it, and give 
it its fit career and maturity. — Dods, Expos. Bible, 
Jn. p. 36. 

“7 lay down my life.” There is something in his 
simple statement, “I lay down my life,” which for- 


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ever makes it impossible to doubt the voluntariness 
with 'fthich he undertook and carried out the task of 
the world’s redemption. His death was not, as is 
often affirmed, a mere object-lesson of the love of God 
without propitiatory significance. Still less was it 
merely the inevitable end of a life lived out of touch 
with the current ideas of the day, and hence but an 
example of moral heroism. The Cross is gruesome as 
a pulpit, but glorious as an altar. And it was as to an 
altar that he willingly went, sustained by the consci- 
ousness that he laid down his life “for the sheep.” 
Calvary was not a costly mistake, but the glorious 
consummation of a plan embraced in its entirety from 
the beginning. — J. Stuart Holden, The Pre-eminent 
Lord, p. 15. 

“I, if I be lifted up” (Jn. 12:32.) Jesus is repre- 
sented as comparing himself to the brazen serpent: 
“Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” The ex- 
pression “lifted up” occurs in one or two other places 
and the same happy or unhappy ambiguity attaches 
to it in all. Thus in Jn. 8:28 Jesus says to the Jews: 
“When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall 
ye know that I am he,” etc. In 12:32 we have: 
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all 
men to myself.” Here the evangelist again has a note 
which has excited the contempt of critics. “This he 
said, indicating by what kind of death he was to die” 
(12:33). All that the Jews seem to have taken out of 
the word was the idea of “removal” ; for they contrast 
the inevitable “uplifting” of the Son of Man with the 
“abiding of the Christ for ever.” Here it is by no 
means necessary to join in the common censure of the 
evangelist. Where the “uplifting” is spoken of indef- 
initely, it may be conceived, properly enough, to include 


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the exaltation; but where it is spoken of as the act of 
the Jews (8:28), and compared to the elevation of the 
brazen serpent on a pole (3:14 f.), the allusion to the 
Cross is unmistakable. There is, indeed, an exact 
parallel to it in Ezra 6:11 (R. V.) : “Also I have made 
a decree that whosoever shall alter this word, let tim- 
ber be pulled down from his house, and let him be 
lifted up and fastened thereon.” That was the death 
which Jesus died, and to such a death the evangelist 
understood him to refer. — James Denney, The Death 
of Christ, pp. 256-7. 

“ Except a grain of wheat die.” (Jn. 12:24.) What 
then, after this severest testing, was Christ’s view of 
his own work! Did he come merely to be a light to light- 
en the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel ! Did 
men go out to see merely a prophet, the last and great- 
est of all! Did he simply stand for God calling men 
to come to God, or did he stand with men facing God, 
and calling men to come to God through him! The 
one thing that is clearest in any view of the gospel is 
the tremendous claim Christ made for himself, and, 
in that claim, the absorbing element is the necessity 
of his Cross. Was that Cross merely an event in 
which he was the sport of destiny! Was it a premature 
tragedy, and a noble martyrdom for truth! Was it 
not the one divine event to which his ministry moved! 
The passion behind his life is confessed in word and 
deed as the craving to give himself a ransom for us, 
and to become the Mediator between God and men. To 
men who tell us that we need only to be illuminated, 
and that all we require is to be shown the alluring way 
of holiness, and called to follow him as he walked in it, 
the answer lies in the study of the broad revelation of 
his life. The death of Christ is the unexplained event 


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of the story, unless we see that it was the passion of the 
mind and heart of Christ. The word, that word which 
no critic denies, which explains it all, is his own. 4 ‘ The 
Son of man came to give his life a ransom for many.” 
— W. M. Clow, The Cross in Christian Experience, pp. 
104-5. 

“Draw all men unto me.” (Jn. 12:32.) The word 
“draw” occurs once in the New Testament, besides this 
passage, in a moral sense (Jn. 6:44). It is accom- 
plished in the work of the Holy Spirit, whose mission 
to the church was dependent upon the ascension of our 
Lord (Jn. 7 :39; 16 :7) ; and the promise is fulfilled even 
in the case of those who resist the Holy Spirit’s in- 
fluence. They are drawn by the moral power of the 
life and death and resurrection of Christ, brought 
home to them by the Holy Ghost ; but no moral power 
can compel a will which is free. The whole mission work 
of the church and every effort which Christianity 
brings to bear upon the evil of the world implies this 
moral drawing; and implies, too, the power of man 
to reject it. But we may not say this moral power is 
not leading men to Christ, where we can least trace 
it, and we may not say that there is any limit where 
its influence ends. — Watkins, Com., John. 

The voluntary character of the death of Jesus . It 
was not a fate that overtook him, it was a mission that 
he had to accomplish. It was not a forecast of possible 
consequences of his work, it was an essential part of 
the work itself. And his feeling is a strange blending 
of fear and determination, a gradual deepening of 
solemnity and intensity. “He steadfastly set his face 
to go up to Jerusalem,” his love at every step triumph- 
ing over his shrinking. He longed to complete the great 
sacrifice which was to redeem the world. The Pass- 


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over, especially, was the culmination of all that had 
typified him. It had been a kind of approximation to- 
wards him. It was the full symbol of the atoning sacri- 
fice — the lamb on the altar, the sprinkled blood on the 
doorposts. Each Passover would have to him a mourn- 
ful significance, and this last would fulfill all. He him- 
self would become the Paschal lamb. What emphasis 
it puts upon his love, that he had a clear foresight 
that he had to sutler. His human foreknowledge had 
its limitations. Possibly he did not anticipate all that 
he had to endure, all the experience of his agony. Its 
unknown possibilities might be part of his fear. But 
he did know that he had to die, to drink the cup of trem- 
bling; and through life he intelligently advanced to 
his goal. — Henry Allon, The Indwelling Christ, p. 291. 

THE JEWS REJECT JESUS. 

But though he had done so many signs before them, 
yet they believed not on him: that the word of Isaiah the 
prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, 

“Lord, who hath believed our report? 

And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 

For this cause they could not believe, for that Isaiah 
said again, 

“He hath blinded their eyes, and he hardened their heart; 
Lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with 
their heart, 

And should turn, 

And I should heal them.” 

These things said Isaiah, because he saw his glory; and 
he spake of him. Nevertheless even of the rulers many 
believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not 
confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue : for 
they loved the glory that is of men more than the glory that 
is of God. 

And Jesus cried and said, “He that believeth on me, 
believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he 
that beholdeth me beholdeth him that sent me. I am come 
a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me may 


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not abide in the darkness. And if any man hear my sayings, 
and keep them not, I judge him not: for I came not to 
judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth 
me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth 
him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him 
in the last day. For I spake not from myself; but the 
Father that sent me, he hath given me a commandment, 
what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know 
that his commandment is life eternal; the things therefore 
which I speak, even as the Father hath said unto me, so 
I speak.” (His Last Week, pp. 18-19; Jn. 12:36b-50.) 

“That the word of the prophet might he fulfilled.” 
(Jn. 12:37) Jn. Isa. 53:1, 6:9, 10 and accompanying 
passages, the prophet foretells the incredulity of many 
Jews concerning the claims made by the Messiah. 

Jesus’ last words in the temple. (Jn. 12:33-36.) 
Standing at the very close of his public ministrations, 
he threw into these last words of warning the whole 
intensity and earnestness of his soul. “If you wish to 
comprehend what I have said about my being lifted up, 
let me tell you how all your questions and difficulties 
about it may be resolved. I shall be with you only 
a very little longer; make right use of that time to 
believe in me, the light of the world, as the traveler 
makes use of the last moments of day, to reach safety, 
before darkness overtake him. With me, the light 
of truth, which now lights you, will be gone, and you 
know that he who walks in darkness knows not what 
way to go. While ye still have me, the light of men, 
believe in the light, that ye may receive illumination 
from it.” . . . Casting a last sad look of quench- 

less pity on all, he turned away to Bethany, to seek 
seclusion, till the time came for his self-sacrifice. — 
Geikie, Life of Christ, vol. ii, page 438. 

Jesus’ farewell to Israel. Such was the farewell of 
Jesus to Israel. The words, “he said these things,” 


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signify that he gave them no other response. Thereup- 
on he withdraws ; and on the following day he does not 
reappear. The people waited for him in the temple as 
usual (Lk. 21:38) ; but in vain. It was at this time no 
longer a mere cloud which veiled the sun ; the sun had 
set, the night was come. — Godet, Com., John, vol. ii, 
p. 230. 

His last public teaching. All the evangelists have 
traces of public teaching by Jesus that belonged in 
these last days. According to Luke Jesus taught daily 
in the temple, and people hung upon him in rapt at- 
tention (Lk. 19 :48). They came early in the morning to 
hear him (Lk. 21 :38). Mark says that the chief priests 
and scribes feared Jesus because the multitude were 
deeply impressed by his teaching (Mk. 11:18), and his 
statement does not refer to one single occasion, but is 
general in character. Luke does not give the content 
of one of these last sermons to the people, neither does 
Mathew nor Mark ; yet we are doubtless right in holding 
that Jesus preached the Gospel of his Kingdom even 
as he had been doing for two years. John preserves 
the substance of one of these addresses, in which Jesus 
declared his peculiar relation to God, as one sent by 
him with power to save the world (Jn. 12:44-50). His 
word is God’s word, and to reject it now means that 
one must be judged by it hereafter. — George Holley 
Gilbert, Students Life of Jesus, p. 244. 

The appeal of Jesus . It is, on first thoughts, inex- 
plicable that any body of religious people — and one 
must admit that the Jews were the most religious peo- 
ple on the face of the earth— should have refused the 
luminous and winsome teaching of J esus, and actually 
sent him to the Cross for his Evangel. When one 
thinks a little longer, and puts himself in the place of 


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the contemporaries of Jesus, it comes home to him that 
they were not really able to receive the truth, and that 
he himself might, in the same circumstances, have 
condemned Jesus as a blasphemer. For the irresistible 
attraction of J esus, as it now seems to us, was his reas- 
onableness, and that was shown by his appeal at every 
turn to reality. “This is what I say, and you will see 
that this is what ought to be,” was ever Jesus’ argu- 
ment; and to an honest mind, without bias or preoc- 
cupation, such a plea was unanswerable. But if the 
mind had long lost touch with truth at first-hand, and 
was possessed by traditions about truth, then Jesus 
could have no access, and indeed might be only offen- 
sive. Jesus and the Jews were ever at cross purposes 
in this matter. He made his appeal past tradition to 
truth, and they disallowed this appeal and judged him 
by tradition; and by this standard there can be no 
doubt he was a heretic. — John Watson, The Mind of 
the Master, pp. 5-6. 

The unbelief of the Jews explained . (Jn. 12:37-43.) 

At first sight it is an astounding fact that the very 
people who had been prepared to recognize and receive 
the Messiah should not have believed in him. But John 
turns the point of this argument by showing that a 
precisely similar phenomenon had often appeared in 
the history of Israel. The people had habitually, as a 
people with individual exceptions, refused to listen to 
God’s voice or to acknowledge his presence in prophet 
and providence. Besides, if, in former periods of their 
history, they had proved themselves unworthy of God’s 
training, and irresponsive to it, what else could be ex- 
pected than that they should reject the Messiah when 
he came! — Dods, Expositors’ Bible, John, vol. ii, p. 
68-9. 


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127 


The lower and the higher success . (Jn. 12:32.) Jesus 
looked beyond the cruel cross to the immortal crown. 
The hour was at hand when Jesus should receive his 
personal glorification, as the Son of Man. As the Word, 
the Son of God, this exalted Being had enjoyed glory 
with the Father before the world was. But now his 
humanity was to be glorified. He loved to call him- 
self the Son of Man ; in this capacity he was about to 
be raised to immortal majesty. His glory was to be 
shown as the accepted of the Father in his resurrec- 
tion from the dead. God raised him from the dead 
and gave him glory. In his ascension Jesus Christ 
was ‘ ‘ received up into glory. ’ ’ 

There was evident humiliation in the cross, and as 
evident glory in his exaltation to the throne. His 
official glory was to be displayed in his kingship and 
dominion. In heaven he was to receive the homage 
both of angels and of glorified men; upon earth he 
was to extend, by his Spirit and by his word, the em- 
pire he had founded by his death. Christ’s truest 
glory was to consist in the salvation of multitudes of 
the human race by means of his sacrifice and inter- 
cession. The highest glory of an earthly monarch con- 
sists in the number and loyalty of his subjects. No 
earthly king has ever exercised a sway so wide, so 
beneficent, so enduring, as that of Christ. The king- 
doms of this world are to become the kingdoms of 
our God and of His Christ.— Pulpit Commentary, 
John, vol. ii, p. 156. 

The consequences of faith and unbelief . (Jn. 12:44- 
50.) Israel was not only blinded with reference to the 
miracles which Jesus had wrought; it was deaf as re- 
garded the testimonies which accompanied them, and 
this is what finally renders its unbelief unpardonable. 


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Such is the meaning and spirit of this passage. It is 
a resume of the teachings of Jesus, made from the spe- 
cial standpoint of Jewish unbelief. The first part (vs. 
44-46) sets forth the privileges connected with faith; 
he who believes in Jesus possesses God, and by his 
faith attests the truth of God to the view of others. 
The second part (vs. 47, 48), sets forth the condem- 
nation which will strike unbelief. As the presence of 
J esus is the pure manifestation of God, his word is the 
perfect revelation of the thought of God. This will be 
the one touchstone of the judgment. These verses ex- 
plain the reason why the position taken by man with 
regard to Jesus and his word has so decisive an im- 
portance. The third part (vs. 49, 50), sets forth the 
reason of the gravity of these two moral facts, which 
was so decisive. The word of Jesus is the standard 
of judgment, because it is the word of God himself. 
Jesus receives for each case the commission which 
he has to fulfill ; he hears before speaking, and he hears 
because he listens. He gives the divine word to men 
just as he receives it, without allowing himself to 
make any change in it. 

There is then here a discourse composed by John, 
indeed; but he does not attribute it as such to Jesus; 
he gives it as the summary of all the testimonies of 
Jesus which the Jews ought to have believed, but which 
they rejected. Here precisely is the reason why this 
passage contains no new idea, and bears no indication 
of time or place. — Godet, Com., John, vol. ii, pp. 236- 
239. 

DISCOURSE CONCERNING THE FUTURE. 

And as Jesus went forth out from the temple, and was 
going on his way, his disciples came to him to show him 
the buildings of the temple, and one of his disciples saith 


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unto him, “Teacher, Behold what manner of stones, and 
what manner of buildings!” And some spake of the tem- 
ple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and offerings. 

But he answered and said unto them, “See ye not all 
these things? Verily I say unto you, As for these things 
which ye behold, there shall not be left here one stone upon 
another, that shall not be thrown down.” 

And as he sat on the mount of Olives over against the 
temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked 
him privately, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and 
what shall be the sign when these things are all about to be 
accomplished, and what shall be the sign of thy coming, 
and of the end of the world?” 

And Jesus began to say unto them, “Take heed that no 
man lead you astray. Many shall come in my name, say- 
ing, ‘I am the Christ,’ and shall lead many astray. And 
when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be not 
troubled: these things must needs come to pass; but the 
end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and 
kingdom against kingdom; there shall be earthquakes in 
divers places; there shall be famines: these things are the 
beginning of the travail. 

“But take ye heed to yourselves: for before all these 
things they shall deliver you up to councils; and in syna- 
gogues shall ye be beaten; and before governors and kings 
shall ye stand for my sake, for a testimony unto them. And 
the gospel must first be preached unto all the nations. 
Settle it, therefore, in your hearts, and when they lead you 
to judgment, and deliver you up, be not anxious before- 
hand what ye shall speak; but whatsoever shall be given 
you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, 
but the Holy Spirit. But ye shall be delivered up even by 
parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends : and some 
of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall 
be hated of all men for my name’s sake. 

“And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one 
another, and shall hate one another. And many false proph- 
ets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. And because 
iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall 
wax cold. But he that endureth to the end, the same shall 
be saved. 

“But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then 
know that her desolation is at hand. Then let them that 
are in Judaea flee unto the mountains; let him that is on 


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the housetop not go down to take out the things that are 
in his house; and let him that is in the field not return 
back to take his cloak. For these are days of vengeance, 
that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 

“But woe unto them that are with child and to them 
that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your 
flight be not in the winter, neither on a Sabbath: for then 
shall be great tribulations, such as hath not been from the 
beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be. 
And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would 
have been saved: but for the elect’s sake those days will 
be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, ‘Lo, 
here is the Christ,’ or, ‘Here,’ believe it not. For there 
shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show 
great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, 
even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have told you 
all things beforehand. If, therefore, they shall say unto 
you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ go not forth: ‘Be- 
hold, he is in the inner chambers,’ believe it not. For as the 
lightning cometh forth from the east and is seen even unto 
the west, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. Where- 
soever, the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered 
together. 

“But immediately after the tribulation of those days the 
sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her 
light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers 
of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the 
sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the 
tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of 
man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great 
glory. And he shall send forth his angels with a great 
sound of a trumpet, and shall gather together his elect 
from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth 
to the uttermost part of heaven. 

“Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her 
branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, 
ye know that the summer is nigh; even so ye also, when 
ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, even at 
the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall 
not pass away till all these things be accomplished. Heaven 
and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass 
away. But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even 
the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only. 

“But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be 


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131 


overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares 
of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare ; 
for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face 
of ail the earth. But watch ye at every season, making 
supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things 
that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. 

“And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the com- 
ing of the Son of man. For as in those days which were 
before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying 
and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered 
into the ark, and they knew not until the flood came, and 
took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son 
of man. Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, 
and one is left; two women shall be grinding at the mill; 
one is taken, and one is left. Watch therefore : for ye know 
not on what day your Lord cometh. 

“But know this, that if the master of the house had 
known in what watch the thief was coming, he would 
have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be 
broken through. Therefore be ye also ready; for in an 
hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh. 

“Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when 
the time is. It is as when a man, sojourning in another 
country, having left his house, and given authority to his 
servants, to each one his work, commanded also the porter 
to watch. Watch therefore, for ye know not when the 
lord of the house cometh, whether at even, or at midnight, 
or at cockcrowing, or in the morning ; lest coming suddenly 
he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto 
all, Watch. 

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the 
lord hath set over his household, to give them their food 
in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord 
when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto 
you, that he will set him over all that he hath. But if 
that evil servant shall say in his heart, ‘My lord tarrieth’; 
and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat 
and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall 
come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when 
he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his 
portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping 
and the gnashing of teeth/’ (His Last Week, pp. 19-22; Mt. 
24:1-51; Mk. 1-37; Lk. 21:5-36.) 


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0 Jerusalem , Jerusalem! (Mt. 23:37.) Not the 
splendor of the temple, but the falseness of the San- 
hedrin; not the beauty of the royal park beyond, but 
the shouting mob around the governor’s seat, and the 
fatal yielding of that doomed man; the way out to 
Calvary, the tomb in the garden ; — all these were plain 
to his thought. But all these his mind passed over to 
the scenes which forty years should bring : the trenches 
cast about the city, the terrors of the siege, the mad- 
ness of the resistance; on the very spot where they 
stood should the famous tenth legion set up its engines, 
and the ponderous stones and flaming darts go plung- 
ing across the valley and down into the temple court. 
He saw the walls breached, the temple in ruins, its 
carven and gold-laid pillars in flames, the gutters of 
the court running blood. He saw — not himself led cap- 
tive, but myriads of citizens dragged into slavery ; not 
his own cross with one other on either side, but 
crosses lifted by the thousand until wood failed for 
the making. All this he beheld, while the light-hearted 
people shouted around, and there lay the radiant city, 
smiling amid festal joys, like a queen decked for a 
banquet while the enemy is thundering at the gate! 
And the doom might yet be turned. They have but to 
accept their King. Lo ! the air is ringing with hosan- 
nas to his name. How possible, how close, was glory, 
but alas! how certain was destruction! That single 
day, by a true-hearted acceptance of him whom they 
are acknowledging and adoring as the Messiah of 
God, might undo all the crimes of their past and crown 
the chosen people and loved city with the eternal 
royalty which their God was longing to bestow. — C. 
M. Southgate in Monday Club Sermons. 

“Not . . . one stone upon another.” (Mt. 24: 


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2.) When Jerusalem was destroyed, a generation after 
Jesus ’ death, his prophecy concerning the temple was 
fulfilled with terrible accuracy, for it was leveled to its 
foundations by the invading army and not one stone 
was left upon another of the splendid pile which Herod 
built. Indeed, there is but one stone in existence of 
which it is positively known that it belonged to that 
temple. That is a block of carved marble from the 
screen that separated the inner courts from the Court 
of the Gentiles. It was discovered in 1871 by Mr. 
Clermont Ganneau, and is now in the Royal Museum 
at Constantinople. It warns Gentiles to go no farther 
on penalty of death. The last word, ‘ ‘ thanaton , 9 9 the 
Greek word for death, will be recognized easily by 
English readers. 

At the beginning of his last week, our Lord said 
that, if the multitudes were to withhold their praises 
of him, the very stones would cry out. Surely, this 
one remaining stone which once stood, with others 
similarly inscribed, as barriers between people of op- 
posing faiths, now witnesses to the power of Jesus 
Christ, “who hath broken down the middle wall of 
partition ’ 9 between Jew and Gentile and made them 
one in himself. 

Occasion for the discourse . (Mt. 24:1-3.) Jesus and 
his disciples had left the city, crossed black Kidron, and 
were slowly climbing the Mount of Olives. A sudden 
turn in the road, and the sacred building was once 
more in full view. One and another pointed out to 
him those massive stones and splendid buildings, or 
spoke of the rich offerings with which the temple was 
adorned. Then Jesus spoke fully of that terrible con- 
trast between the present and the near future, when, 
as fulfilled with almost incredible literality, not one 


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stone would be left upon another that was not upturned. 

In silence they pursued their way. Upon the Mount 
of Olives they sat down, right over against the temple. 
Whether or not the others had gone farther, or Christ 
had sat apart with these four, Peter and James and 
John and Andrew are named as those who now asked 
him further of what must have weighed so heavily on 
their hearts: “Tell us, when shall these things he? 
and what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the 
consummation of the age?” — Edersheim, Life and 
Times of Jesus, Vol. ii, p. 432. 

“The sign of thy coming .” (Mt. 24:3.) The Greek 
word parousia means presence rather than coming. It 
involves no idea of departure and arrivals. It is “the 
state of being with,” and is compounded of the prepo- 
sition par , with, and ousia, being. 

Signs of the parousia. (Mt. 24:29.) This disturb- 
ance of the heavenly bodies and the prediction of the 
coming of the Son of Man, have been supposed to be 
decisive of the view that this prophecy looks beyond 
the fall of Jerusalem to the end of the world. But 
this darkening and fall of the heavenly bodies is so 
common an accompaniment of Old Testament proph- 
ecy, and its place is so definitely and certainly fixed 
there, as belonging to the apocalyptic imagery of 
prophecy, and not to the prediction of events, that it 
presents no difficulty whatever. (Compare Is. 13:10; 
34 :4 ; Ezek. 32 :7, 8 ; J oel 2 :30, 31 ; 3 :15.) This language 
is intended to portray the greatness of the doom of 
such nations as come under the judgment of God. When 
he comes in judgment, the earth and even the heavens 
dissolve before him. They are not events, but only 
imaginative portrayal of what it means for God to in- 
terfere in the history of nations. — Gould, Internat. 
Crit. Com., Mark, p. 250. 


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135 


“The end of the world.” (Mt. 24:3.) It is un- 
fortunate that the word aion, sometimes translated 
world, is not uniformly translated age. The word, ac- 
cording to Thayer, is used — (1) Of time in general. An 
unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity. Hence, 
forever (Jn. 6:51, 58), or, with a negation, never (Jn. 
4:14). (2) Of time as related to the Messiah’s advent. 
The J ews distinguished ‘ ‘ the present world, ’ 9 the time 
before the Messiah, from “the coming world,” the time 
after his advent. In a similar manner most of the 
New Testament writers designate by this world (Mt. 
12:32; 13:22, etc.), the time before the appointed re- 
turn or truly Messianic advent of Christ, the period 
of instability, weakness, impiety, wickedness, calam- 
ity, and misery. By that world or the world to come 
(Mt. 12:32; Mk. 10:30; Lk. 18:30) they denote the age 
after the return of Christ in majesty, the period of the 
consummate establishment of the kingdom and all its 
blessings. The expression “the end of the world” 
which occurs only in Matthew, denotes the end, or 
rather consummation, of the age preceding Christ’s 
return, with which will be connected the resurrection 
of the dead, the last judgment, the demolition of this 
world, and its restoration to a more excellent condi- 
tion. 

The Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. 
(Mt. 24:30, 31.) This language is not to be taken lit- 
erally, any more than that about the heavenly bodies. 
That is, usage makes it unnecessary, and in this case, 
the immediate connection with the destruction of J eru- 
salem makes it impossible. The passage from which 
this language is taken is Dan. 7 :13, in which one like 
a son of man comes with the clouds of heaven, and the 
Ancient of Days gives him an everlasting and univer- 


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sal kingdom. The clouds are not to be taken literally ; 
they make a part of the picture, intended to represent 
that this kingdom to be set up on the earth is after all 
not an earthly kingdom, but one coming down out of 
heaven, a theocracy. If any one had suggested to the 
writer that it was to have a literal fulfilment, he would 
have said that that was not in his mind. Jesus, then, 
in adopting this language, meant that this prophecy 
out of the Old Testament was to be fulfilled in himself 
at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. Then 
the kingdom of God is to be set up in the world, that 
unworldly and everlasting kingdom of which the sign 
is not a beast, but one like a son of man coming in the 
clouds. But here we face the question, what was there 
in this catastrophe of the Jewish nation which can be 
described as a coming of the son of man in the clouds 
with power and great glory. All the marks of time 
in the chapter point to that one time and confine us 
to that; and, as we have seen, the language, which 
seems to point to a world-catastrophe and the consum- 
mation of all things, does not take us beyond that, 
since it is used elsewhere of events, such as the de- 
struction of Babylon and the judgment of Edom, which 
have the same general character as this destruction of 
Jerusalem. — Gould, Internat. Crit. Com., Mk., p. 251. 

Three interpretations of Mt. chs. 24, 25. There have 
been, up to recent times, two interpretations of this 
discourse. Both of them separate it into two princi- 
pal parts: the prediction of the destruction of Jeru- 
salem, and the prophecy of the consummation of all 
things with the advent of the Messiah in glory. But 
one of them, the traditional interpretation, postpones 
the latter part indefinitely, and is still looking for the 
world-catastrophe which its advocates suppose to be 


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predicted here. The difficulties in the way of this 
interpretation are grave and insuperable. It ignores 
the coupling together of the two parts in the discourse, 
as belonging to one great advent. Matthew 24 :29 says 
that they will follow each other immediately. Mark, 
that they belong to the same general period. Further, 
it leaves unexplained the expectation of an immediate 
coming which colors all the other New Testament 
books, and all the life of the church in the subsequent 
period. 

The other interpretation, the common one at present, 
interpreting the prophecy itself in the same way, 
places the time of its fulfilment in that generation. 

A third interpretation, the one adopted here, holds 
that the event predicted in the second part did take 
place in that generation, and in connection with the 
destruction of Jerusalem. The event itself, and the 
signs of it, it interprets according to the analogy of 
prophecy, figuratively. It finds numerous instances of 
such use in Old Testament prophecy. The prophecy 
becomes thus a prediction of the setting up of the 
kingdom, and especially of its definite inauguration as 
a universal kingdom, with the removal of the chief 
obstacle to that in the destruction of Jerusalem. — 
Gould, Internat. Crit. Com., Mark, pp. 240, 241. 

“ Jerusalem compassed with armies (Lk. 21:20.) 
The destruction of Jerusalem, in A. D. 70, by Titus, the 
Roman general, was one of unparalleled horrors. Dur- 
ing the siege, which lasted 143 days, the inhabitants 
suffered indescribably from famine and thirst. Indeed, 
few tragedies in the world’s history have been more 
terrible. More than a million Jews were slaughtered, 
and thousands were sold into slavery. The temple, 
which had been completed but five years before, was 


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despoiled of its treasures and completely destroyed 
Representations of some of its sacred furnishings — 
the ark, tables and seven-branched candlestick — may 
still be seen on the arch erected in Rome in honor of 
Titus. 

The prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusa- 
lem . (Mt. 24:1-3.) This remarkable discourse, nearly 
equal in length to the Sermon on the Mount, may be 
called the prophecy on the mount; for it is prophetic 
throughout, and it was delivered on the Mount of 
Olives. From the way in which it is introduced (vs. 
1-3) we see that it is closely connected with the aban- 
donment of the temple, and that it was suggested by 
the disciples calling Christ’s attention to the buildings 
of the temple, which were in full view of the little group 
as they sat on the Mount of Olives that memorable 
day. — Gibson, Expos. Bible, Matthew, p. 339. 

The abomination of desolation . (Mt. 24:15.) This 
phrase is taken from Daniel (see Dan. 9-27; 11:31; 
12:11). There and in 1 Macc. 1:54, it seems to refer 
to some outrage on Jewish religious feeling in connec- 
tion with the temple. It must point to some broad, eas- 
ily recognizable fact, which Jesus’ followers could at 
once see and regard as a signal for flight; a fact not 
merely shocking religious feeling, but threatening 
life, which he would have no disciple sacrifice in a 
cause with which they could have no sympathy. Luke 
gives the clue (21 :20). The horror is the Roman army, 
and the thing to be dreaded and fled from is not any 
religious outrage it may perpetrate, but the desolation 
it will inevitably bring. The appearance of the Ro- 
mans in Palestine would at once become known to all. 
And it would be the signal for flight, for it would 
mean the end near, inevitable and terrible. — Bruce, 
Expos. Greek Test., Matthew, pp. 291, 292. 


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139 


“ Them that are with child — and give suck .” (Mt. 
24:19.) The hardship and peril of those who had to 
carry children would be greatly increased. 

“Pray that your flight be not in winter.” (Mt. 
24:20.) When the only refuge of the fleeing disciples 
would be the open fields and barren hillsides, the 
dangers of exposure and starvation would be increased 
if the weather was severe. 

“Or on a sabbath.” (Mt. 24:20.) City gates would 
be closed, and facilities for travel and escape greatly 
limited. 

The destruction of Jerusalem foretold. (Mt. 24:4-28.) 
In this passage he prepares the minds of his disciples 
for the times of trouble and trial through which they 
must pass before the coming of “the great and notable 
day of the Lord” which was at hand: there shall be 
false christs and false prophets, there shall be wars 
and rumors of wars, and shaking of the nations, and 
famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers 
places ; yet will all these be only “the beginning of sor- 
rows.” He also prepares their minds for the gigantic 
work which must be done by them and by their brother- 
disciples before that great day: “This gospel of the 
kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a wit- 
ness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” 
Thus are the disciples taught the very important and 
thoroughly practical truth, that they must pass through 
a great trial and do a great work before the day shall 
come. 

He then gives them a certain sign (v. 15) by which 
they shall know that the event is imminent, when it 
does approach. This is not equivalent to fixing a date. 
He gives them no idea how long the period of trial 
shall last, no idea how long they shall have for the 


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DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


great work before them — he simply gives them a sign, 
by observing which they shall not be taken completely 
by surprise, but have at least a brief space to make 
their escape from the condemned city. And so very 
little time will elapse between the sign and the event 
to which it points, that he warns them against any 
delay, and tells them, as soon as it shall appear, to 
flee at once to the mountains and escape for their lives. 
— Gibson, Expos. Bible, Matthew, pp. 344, 346. 

The great tribulation . (Mt. 24:21.) After the death 
of Jesus Christ, the violence of the Jewish people and 
their intestine feuds, of which, even in the gospels, we 
get glimpses, rapidly increased. Friends were alien- 
ated, families broken up, and a man’s worst foes were 
those of his own household. Brigandage, imposture, 
and assassinations were rife. Even the temple was not 
a place of safety. The high priest was slain while 
performing public worship. The priests quarreled, 
openly and shamelessly, over the tithes. At length, 
possessed by a seeming frenzy, the Jews broke into op- 
en revolt against the Romans, seized on the most im- 
portant posts in the country, and inflicted a severe 
though temporary defeat on the Roman arms. Ves- 
pasian and Titus were sent to chastise them back to 
submission. In the spring of A. D. 70, when the city 
was crowded with the multitudes who came up to the 
feast of the passover, Titus surrounded Jerusalem 
with his legions. — Abbott, Com., Matthew, p. 254. 

The true sign and the catastrophe. (Mt. 24:15-22.) 
Jesus gives a token by which they might know when 
it was at the very door. He does this in order to dic- 
tate the course which they should then take in order 
to provide for their safety. They were to betake them- 
selves to instant flight. And so great was the expedi 


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141 


lion they were to use, that he who was on the house- 
top was not to wait to come down by the inner stair 
to take anything out of the house, but, escaping even 
as he was, fly as for his life. 

We cannot now say decisively what the abomination 
of desolation was ; doubtless it was recognized by those 
for whose benefit Christ’s words were spoken. We 
know, however, that two years before the city was in- 
vested by Vespasian, a Roman army, under Cestius 
Gallius, approached and invested it. . The 

siege by Cestius was sent as a warning to them [the 
Hebrew converts to Christianity], as the after siege 
was sent as a punishment to their unbelieving country- 
men. It occurred in the month of October, one of the 
mildest in the Jewish year. Their flight, therefore, was 
not in the winter. It has been proved that the day 
on which Cestius unexpectedly, and in a panic which 
never could be accounted for, suddenly called off his 
troops, and entirely retreated from the city, was a 
Tuesday. Their flight, therefore, was not upon the Sab- 
bath. — Hanna, Life of Christ, pp. 561, 562. 

The siege of Jerusalem. Cestius Galius, Prefect of 
Syria, besieged Jerusalem for a short time, and then 
suddenly and unaccountably raised the siege. This 
was the sign for the Christians to flee. They accord- 
ingly removed to Pella and other towns in the moun- 
tainous region of Gilead, east of the Jordan. In the 
territories of Agrippa, who remained faithful to the 
Romans, they were safe. When Titus came some 
months later, there was not one Christian remaining 
in the city. 

<( Grinding at the mill.” (Mt. 24 :41.) The flour-mill 
of the Orient consisted of two flat, circular stones 
about a foot and a half in diameter and four inches 


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DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


thick. A peg in the middle of the lower stone passed 
through a funnel-shaped hole in the middle of the up- 
per one. Into this upper opening was poured the grain, 
which was ground by revolving one stone upon an- 
other. Two women, sitting on opposite sides of the 
mill, revolved the upper stone by means of a stake 
set upright in its rim. A cloth spread underneath the 
mill held the flour when it was ground. While one 
woman can turn a mill the work is laborious and is 
much facilitated when two sit on opposite sides of the 
stones. Grinding at the mill is regarded as a task 
unworthy of a man. 

The larger meaning of the destruction of J erusalem. 
This was not merely the destruction of a city ; it was the 
ending of the old and hostile organization that still 
claimed the name of God, and the providential vindica- 
tion of the claim of the true Messiah to the world. It 
was a far more important event than it has generally 
been conceived to be. So important, indeed, in its 
relation to Christ’s kingdom that it is no wonder that 
he spoke of his own coming as associated with it. 

It is plain that the coming of Christ represented in 
this twofold way did not consist in a single event nor 
was it limited to a single age. The coming that the 
Fourth Gospel described is a perpetual advent, in 
which Christ enters evermore fully to the world. The 
coming that is associated with an event in history, like 
the removal of the great opposing religious system, 
may well be viewed as the chief example of many crises 
in a perpetual advent. Thus the two fulfilments of 
the first age promise more, and indicate that the real 
coming of Christ is not an event by itself, but a spirit- 
ual process, long ago begun and still continuing. It 
has continued until now and is still moving on. Christ 


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came long ago; but he is truly the coming one, for he 
is still coming and is yet to come. — Clarke, Christian 
Theology, p. 397. 

THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS. 

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten 
virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the 
bridegroom. And five of them were foolish, and five were 
wise. For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took 
no oil with them : but the wise took oil in their vessels with 
their lamps. Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all 
slumbered and slept. But at midnight there is a cry, ‘Be- 
hold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him.’ Then 
all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the 
foolish said unto the wise, ‘Give us of your oil; for our 
lamps are going out/ But the wise answered, saying, 
‘Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: 
go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 

“And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom 
came; and they that were ready went in with him to the 
marriage feast: and the door was shut. Afterward came 
also the other virgins, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ 
But he answered and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, I know 
you not.’ 

“Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.” 
(His Last Week, p. 23; Mt. 25:1-13.) 

“At midnight ... a cry, Behold the bride- 
groom!” (Mt.,25:6.) For the convenience of guests, 
Oriental marriages usually take place in the evening. 
The bridegroom, accompanied by his friends and hired 
musicians, proceeds to the home of his future bride, 
where she waits, veiled and clad in her choicest gar- 
ments. After the ceremony, all join the wedding pro- 
cession, which, under flaring torches and enlivened with 
joyous music, wends its way to the home of the groom, 
where further festivities take place. As punctuality 
is not an Oriental virtue, it is frequently midnight be- 
fore those waiting near the groom’s home for the pro- 


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DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


cession to arrive have an opportunity to raise the cry, 
“Behold the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him. , ’ 

“Our lamps are going out.” (Mt. 25 :7.) Even now, 
at night time, in the pitch dark streets of Asiatic cit- 
ies, it is a necessity for one, who would proceed with 
safety, to carry some sort of a light. The authorities 
in modern Jerusalem require it. 

In Jesus’ time, evening wedding processions were 
lighted both by torches and by lamps set on staves or 
carried in the hand. The Oriental lamp was a small 
vessel, usually of clay, holding very little oil and re- 
quiring frequent replenishing to supply fuel for the 
tiny wick floating in it. Hence the necessity for carry- 
ing an additional supply of oil, even on a short jour- 
ney. 

“Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out” 
(Mt. 25 :8.) Many ancient lamps have been discovered. 
They are of different shapes, color, and weight, but al- 
most all of equal capacity. I doubt whether the largest 
of them can hold much more than two tablespoonfuls of 
oil, or burn for more than two hours. Modern glass and 
metal lamps are now in use in Syria and have been for 
fifty years past, but earthenware or clay lamps of the 
size mentioned above are still made in the country, 
and largely used by the peasant population. The Syr- 
ians are certainly early risers, but equally certainly 
do they retire early in the evening, and the little 
lamps which the ten virgins took were no larger than 
these. Little wonder is it that by midnight they needed 
trimming and replenishing. While paraffin oil is ex- 
tensively used, crude castor-oil and olive-oil are still 
kept and carried in earthen-ware pitchers beside these 
surje (or lamps). — Mrs. Gfhosn-el-Howie. 

The door ivas shut. (Mt. 25 :10.) The most dramat- 


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145 


ic moment is when the announcement of the bride- 
groom’s approach wakes the silence of midnight. Then 
the “vessel” of each is looked to; then the needle for 
trimming the wick, carried also by each, is brought in- 
to play; but, as soon as the foolish begin to trim, they 
cry out in dismay, “Our lamps are going out” (not 
“are gone out,” as the Authorized Version says). We 
may be inclined to think that the wise ought to have 
risked the lending of a little of their own oil; or we 
may consider it harsh that the foolish were shut out 
for so slight an offense; but can there be any doubt 
what our Lord intended to teach at either of these 
points? So far from heaping up accusations against 
those he condemns, he seems to be evoking sympathy 
on their behalf, except at a single point — the one 
unforgivable thing is to be unprepared. — Prof. James 
Stalker. 

“Lord, Lord, open to us.” (Mt. 25 :11.) From notes 
in a diary of Dr. Howie I copy the following: “When 
Ruby and I were visiting Father X , superintend- 

ent of a monastery in central Palestine, he told us 
that the time had come when he should celebrate a 
marriage service. He courteously admitted us by a 
private door into the chapel where the ceremony was 
to take place. The bride rode up to the main door, and 
was ushered in with some of her attendants, and short- 
ly after the bridegroom, well attended, was admitted, 
and the door was shut. Tapers were lighted, and the 
smoke of sweet incense filled the chapel, and the serv- 
ice began. Then some of those who were shut out 
began to thump at the door vigorously and shout, “Op- 
en, open, for us !” But those within paid no attention 
to them. They were not even rebuked for their ap- 
parently unseemly conduct. 


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DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


“The service over, the door was opened and the 
wedded couple rode away home (where the festivities 
were continued), attended by their rejoicing friends. 
Unfortunately, it escaped me to inquire whether those 
who knocked at the door from without had allowed 
themselves intentionally to be shut out and merely act- 
ed a part in harmony with a form or custom, or wheth- 
er they were really kept out because they were not 
ready to enter at the right time, having mistaken the 
hour.” — Mrs. Ghosn-el-Howie in S. S. Times. 

THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS. 

“For it is as when a man, going into another country, 
called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 
And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to an- 
other one; to each according to his several ability; and he 
went on his journey. Straightway he that received the 
five talents went and traded with them, and made other 
five talents. In like manner he also that received the two 
gained other two. But he that received the one went away 
and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. 

“Now after a long time the lord of these servants cometh, 
and maketh a reckoning with them. And he that received 
the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, 
‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: lo, I have 
gained other five talents.’ His lord said unto him, ‘Well 
done, good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful 
over a few things, I will set thee over many things ; enter 
thou into the joy of thy lord.’ 

“And he also that received the two talents came and said, 
‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: lo, I have 
gained other two talents/ 

“His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful 
servant: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will 
set thee over many things; enter thou into the iov of thv 
lord.’ y y 

“And he also that had received the one talent came and 
said, ‘Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping 
where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst 
not scatter; and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy 
talent in the earth : lo, thou hast thine own/ 


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147 


“But his lord answered and said unto him, ‘Thou wicked 
and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I 
sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter; thou ought- 
est therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at 
my coming I should have received back mine own with 
interest. Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and 
give it unto, him that hath the ten talents. For unto every 
one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; 
but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall 
be taken away. And cast ye out the unprofitable servant 
into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and 
the gnashing of teeth.’ , (His Last Week, pp. 23-4; Mt. 
25:14-30.) 

“A man going into another country.” (Mt. 25:14.) 
In days of old, travel in the East was so fraught with 
danger that it was customary for a man of means, 
about to start on a long journey, to make his will and 
to leave his business interests in the care of some 
trustworthy person. Sometimes a faithful servant was 
chosen to fill the position of steward. 

“Unto one he gave five talents.” (Mt. 25:15.) The 
original talent was an ancient Greek weight, not a 
coin, weighing about 82 lbs., avoirdupois. There were 
different kinds of talents in use throughout the world, 
and their weights and values varied according to the 
countries and periods in which they were current. The 
Attic talent, which was in common use in Palestine at 
this time, is said to have equalled 6000 denarii, about 
$970. The real value in purchasing power, of course, 
was very much greater. Reckoning the denarius as 
the day’s wage, it would be approximately correct to 
say that the purchasing power of a talent was not 
far from that of $6000 at the present time. 

A talent equalled 60 mince, a mina being the 
“ pound” mentioned in Luke 19, in the parable of the 
pounds, which closely resembles that of the talents. 


148 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


“ I hid thy talent in the earth.” (Mt. 25:25.) Bury- 
ing treasure in the ground for safe keeping was a 
common resort in the days when banks and safe de- 
posit vaults were unknown, and is still a favorite 
method of storing valuables in Palestine and Egypt. 
The unearthing of pots of money, hidden long ago and 
forgotten, still keeps the market supplied with rare 
coins of antiquity. 

“Put my money to the bankers.” (Mt. 25:27.) 
Money-changing became a necessity in Judea, because 
of the common use of Roman and Greek coins brought 
in by Jewish pilgrims returning from various parts 
of the world to celebrate their religious festivals. 
Money-changers who transacted business on a large 
scale, used to receive money on deposit for investment, 
paying interest to the lenders, and loaning it again 
at a profit to borrowers. It was, however, a private 
banking system and the rate of interest was agreed 
upon by the parties engaged in the transaction. There 
was an oft-improved opportunity among these ‘ ‘bank- 
ers” for making enormous profits. 

Talents. “Talent” nowadays, designates a natural 
gift; but in the parable it signifies rather the work 
which this enables its possessor to accomplish. The 
talents were distributed “to every man according to 
his several ability,” this phrase being nearly exactly 
equivalent to our word “talent.” This explains how 
the talent taken from the man who had made no use of 
it could be given to him who had ten ; a “ talent, ’ ’ in the 
sense of a natural gift, could not thus be given from 
one to another, but, in the sense of an opportunity for 
exercising such a gift, it could easily be transferred ; 
for opportunities multiply in proportion as gifts are 
used, whereas they are taken away from those who do 
not make use of them. — Prof. James Stalker. 


THE STOKY OF TUESDAY 


149 


The reckoning with the slothful servant . His speech 
is extraordinarily audacious, not only in its blacken- 
ing of the master’s character, but in its cool assump- 
tion that he was quite justified in hiding the talent, and 
had done all that he could be expected to do when he 
gave it back. “ I knew thee that thou art an hard 
man.” There are many other reasons for slothful- 
ness, but one of the most powerful is a false concep- 
tion of the character of God and of religion. A man 
who thinks of God as always exacting will never ren- 
der him real service. To know him to he the “giving 
God” is the mainspring of all devotion and diligence. 
Love kindled by his love sets all the powers of mind 
and heart astir, and makes duty delightsome and serv- 
ice a joy. It is the God who gives what he commands 
and before he commands, whom Jesus makes us 
“know,” and thereby shatters all the hideous images 
that men’s fears have made, of a God who is an ex- 
actor and a dread. Fear of God paralyzes activity. 
“Love is the fulfilling of the law.” — Alexander Mc- 
Laren, D. D., in S. S. Times. 

THE JUDGMENT SCENE. 

“But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and 
all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne 
of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the 
nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as 
the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he 
shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on 
the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right 
hand, ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom 
prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for 
T was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and 
ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; 
naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; 
I was in prison, and ye came unto me.’ 

“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, ‘Lord, 


150 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and 
gave thee drink? And when saw we thee a stranger, and 
took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? And when saw 
we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?’ And the 
King shall answer and say unto them, ‘Verily I say unto 
you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my children, 
even these least, ye did it unto me/ 

“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, 
‘Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is 
prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, 
and ye did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave 
me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; 
naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye 
visited me not/ Then shall they also answer, saying, 
‘Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, 
or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto 
thee?* Then shall he answer them, saying, ‘Verily I say 
unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, 
ye did it not unto me/ And these shall go away into eternal 
punishment: but the righteous into eternal life.” (His 
Last Week, pp. 25-6; Mt. 25:31-46.) 

“Before him shall he gathered all nations ” (Mt. 
25:32.) Moslems refer constantly to God as “the 
Judge of the worlds” (this one and the next) and like 
to dwell in thought upon the Last Judgment, where a 
vast throng shall be gathered to await the decisions of 
an impartial Judge. 

Aged and infirm Jews undertake difficult journeys 
that they may die in J erusalem, being confirmed in the 
traditional belief that the Day of Judgment is to take 
place in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, close by the Holy 
City. 

“The sheep from the goats.” (Mt. 25:32.) In the 
pastures of the East, sheep and goats mingle freely un- 
der the care of a common shepherd, but each flock 
seems to understand its place. When being fed or 
folded at night, they appear instinctively to group 
themselves in separate companies. 


THE STOBY OF TUESDAY 


151 


“I was thirsty and ye gave me drink” (Mt. 25 :35.) 
In a dry and dusty land like Palestine, a cup of cold 
water given to a thirsty traveler is an act of kindness 
the full value of which is little understood by those liv- 
ing in well-watered countries. 

“A stranger and ye took me in.” (Mt. 25 :36.) Hos- 
pitality is a marked characteristic of the people of our 
Lord ’s native land. In Syria it is thought dishonorable 
to sell bread to strangers passing through their vil- 
lages. As all Oriental travelers, when starting upon a 
journey, commit themselves to the care of God, those 
who have an opportunity to entertain them on the way 
gladly co-operate with the Almighty. 

The unconsciousness of those judged . The uncon- 
sciousness of those judged, of the bearing of their con- 
duct on the Judge, is a remarkable feature of the proc- 
ess ; but it does not necessarily imply that all who pro- 
fessed it had been heathens. The sincerity of the pro- 
fession is not, indeed, to be questioned. Those on the 
left hand are unaffectedly astonished and indignant at 
being condemned for offenses they have never commit- 
ted. But the lesson is, that all our actions have a deep- 
er meaning and a wider scope than we naturally recog- 
nize. Those on the right hand might have been ex- 
pected to recognize the bearing of their actions on 
Christ. In other sayings of his will be found promises 
of reward for acts done, to his people with conscious 
reference to himself ; and the very purpose of this dis- 
course is to make the unconscious reference conscious. 
Every kind or unkind act done to a Christian — may we 
not add, to a fellow-creature? — will turn out in the long 
run to have been done to Christ ; this discourse was ut- 
tered for the very purpose of making us realize this 
now. — Prof. James Stalker. 


152 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


The tests of the judgment . Jesus was an absolute 
and unreserved believer in character, and was never 
weary of insisting that a man ’s soul was more than his 
environment, and that he must be judged not by what 
he held and had, but by what he was and did. Nothing 
could be easier than to say, “Lord, Lord,” but that did 
not count. Jesus’ demand was to do the “will of my 
Father which is in heaven,” and all of this kind made 
one family. He only has founded a kingdom on the 
basis of character; he only has dared to believe that 
character will be omnipotent. No weapon in Jesus’ 
view would be so winsome, so irresistible, as the beati- 
tudes in action. His disciples were to use no kind 
of force, neither tradition, nor miracles, nor the sword, 
nor money. They were to live as he lived, and influence 
would conquer the world. Jesus elected twelve men — 
one was a failure — and trained them till they thought 
with him, and saw with him. St. John did not imitate 
Jesus, he assimilated Jesus. Each disciple became a 
centre himself, and so the Kingdom grows by multiply- 
ing and widening circles of influence. — John Watson, 
The Mind of the Master, p. 57. 

THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST JESUS. 

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these 
words, he said unto his disciples, “Ye know that after two 
days the passover cometh, and the Son of man is delivered 
up to be crucified.” 

Then were gathered together the chief priests, the elders 
of the people, unto the court of the high priest, who was 
called Caiaphas; and they took counsel together that they 
might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him. But they 
feared the people, and they said, “Not during the feast, 
lest haply a tumult arise among the people.” 

And Satan entered into Judas, who was called Iscariot, 
being of the number of the twelve. And he went away 
and communed with the chief priests and captains, how 


THE STORY OF TUESDAY 


153 


he might deliver him unto them. And they were glad, 
and they weighed unto him thirty pieces of silver. And 
he consented, and from that time he sought opportunity 
to deliver him unto them in the absence of the multitude. 
(His Last Week, p. 26; Mt. 25:31-46.) 

“Thirty pieces of silver.” (Mt. 26:15.) Matthew 
mentions the sum paid to Judas as “ thirty pieces of 
silver” (doubtless shekels), the equivalent of $20. The 
amount paid was the legal price of a slave. For inter- 
esting parallels of this price, see Ex. 21 :32 ; Zech. 11 : 
12, 13 ; also compare Mt. 27 :9. Out of the very 
coin for which their zeal for the law caused them to 
permit the desecration of the temple, the coin devised 
and used for the purchase of the temple sacrifice, the 
priests paid the traitor this price for him who became 
the world’s sacrifice for sin. 

Judas and the priests. (Mt. 26:1-5, 14-16.) The 
Pharisees must also be held responsible for an incident 
of singular baseness in the prosecution of Jesus, in 
which the priests may have been the actors but 
the Pharisees must have been the contrivers, and 
that was the use of Judas Iscariot. None knew 
the popular feeling better than the Pharisees, 
and none would more earnestly dissuade the priests 
from a collision with Jesus. He must be taken 
quickly, not in the temple or any public place, else there 
would be a riot, in which the priests would, perhaps, 
suffer most, but in which the popular power of the 
Pharisees might also be shaken. Let him be once 
arrested, and the people find him a prisoner, and they 
would accept the situation. It was the occasion for 
a swift, secret stroke, and if that were well managed, 
the crisis would be over. What would exactly fit the 
situation was a friend of Jesus, who was willing to play 
the knave, to tell them the Master’s private habits, to 


154 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


show them his favorite haunt, to guide them to the 
place at the most favorable time. — Watson, Life of the 
Master, p. 251. 

And they gave him thirty pieces of silver . (Mt. 26: 
16.) It was probably only earnest money which en- 
couraged him to hope for more when his crime was 
completed. The sum may have been fixed at the price 
of a common slave with grim irony of contempt for 
Judas, who was selling himself. The same contempt 
was afterwards expressed in the brutal response to 
the traitor’s desparing attempt to undo his work. If, 
as is probable, the coins given him were shekels of the 
sanctuary, each piece may have fortified his baseness. 
— William Burnet Wright, The Heart of the Master, 

p. 111. 


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History is silent as to the events of this day, and we 
can but conjecture the manner in which it was spent by 
our Lord and his disciples. Part of the day Jesus 
doubtless passed in rest after the busy and exciting 
scenes of the previous days; part of it he must have 
spent in prayer and we can gather the burden of the 
prayer from that which he offered for his disciples the 
next night in Gethsemane (Jn. 17). It was the habit 
of Jesus, previous to any crisis in his ministry, or in 
preparation for any severe ordeal, to commune with 
his Father on some mountain-side or other suitable 
place of retirement. That Bethany at this time was 
his hallowed place of prayer there can be little doubt. 

It is reasonable also to suppose that some hours of 
Wednesday were spent in instructing his disciples. It 
had been his custom, previous to some new chapter 
in his experience, to gather about him his immediate 
friends, that he might prepare them for future events 
and infuse them with his own calm faith. The beauti- 
ful lesson of the vine and the branches might well have 
been spoken at the paschal supper, but it has been 
thought possible by some scholars that Jesus spoke it, 
or portions of it, to his disciples in the vineyards of 
beautiful, shady Bethany on this unrecorded Wednes- 
day. The spirit of it certainly was the spirit of that 
day. 

We shall, therefore, think of our Lord on this day 
as in quiet Bethany, spending some hours, perhaps, in 
loving fellowship with his mother, the members of 


156 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


Lazarus’ household, and his chosen disciples; then for 
a season withdrawing apart by himself, that he might 
commune with God and so gather strength for the 
rapidly approaching end. 

It is not impossible that the feast and anointing oc- 
curred on this day. See note on the anointing at Beth- 
any. 

The Bethany silence. In the last week of the life of 
our Lord there were two days of silence. One was 
Wednesday, the silence of the Bethany home ; the other 
was Saturday, the silence of the tomb. These two 
days were not days of inactivity but of recuperation, 
one for the Trial of the Cross, the other for the Glory 
of Easter. 

The power of silence is not always recognized. 
Great souls have generally been horn and reared in the 
regions of silence. Wednesday was not a waste-day, 
but a prayer-day when the soul of the Lord took firmer 
root in the unseen and eternal. 

The invitation to prayer, unaccepted by the multi- 
tude, is an invitation to power. 

Our Lord was much in silence. Thirty years out of 
the thirty-three of his life are appropriately named the 
years of silence. Even during the three years of his 
public ministry he is often reported as withdrawing 
into solitude, going into a mountain or a desert place 
to he by himself. He went not only for rest but to 
gain power. 

How much of the Bethany silence is needed in the 
daily life. The soul has been up to Jerusalem engaged 
in its tasks and returns home weary with the world’s 
opposition, misunderstood, misrepresented. The Beth- 
any silence is like the shadow of a rock in a weary 
land. The soul faces the tasks of to-morrow, knows 


THE STORY OF WEDNESDAY 


157 


that it must go up to Jerusalem to be crucified by cruel 
men. The Bethany silence is like a refreshing drink 
from the fountain of eternal life. 

The Bethany silence preceded the upper-room fel- 
lowship, preceded the Gethsemane struggle and the 
Judas-betrayal, preceded the trial with priestly big- 
otry, with Pilate-worldliness, with Herod-brutality, 
preceded the desertion of his disciples, the cruelty of 
the mob and the callousness of the soldiers. The 
stored-up strength of Bethany was what made possible 
the long weary journey to the cross. 

No man has power who has not learned to pray. The 
seen-world is so small a fraction of our life, that he who 
has not laid hold of the unseen forces, has a judgment 
that is untrustworthy, either for the guidance of his 
own life, or the affairs of others. The wisest states- 
man in Egypt in the days of Moses was the man who 
walked as seeing “him who is invisible.” 

The best of a man is his willingness to sacrifice for 
the sake of the inner life. For the cultivation of the 
inner life prayer is essential. One can not he proof 
against the world forces as they appeared to Christ in 
the shape of fleeing disciples, betraying friends, big- 
oted priests, unrighteous rulers, the sneers and jeers 
of the multitude, the sight of the approaching cross, 
unless sustained by an inner power — the presence of 
the Father. 

The harder the task the more important it is to pray. 
The more ambitious one is to wield power, the more 
zealously he must incline his ear to catch the words of 
God. Prayer is the way to peace. The Bethany silence 
is the soul’s time of waiting before the descent of the 
Holy Spirit of power — power with God, power over 
men. — The Week of Our Lord’s Passion, pp. 106-7. 


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It is apparent that Jesus tarried in Bethany until 
the afternoon of this day was drawing to its close, 
having despatched two of his disciples to Jerusalem, 
in advance, to secure a room where he and the twelve 
might eat the Passover meal. Accommodations were 
found with a friendly householder, in whose guest- 
chamber, or ‘ ‘ Upper Boom,” the little company gath- 
ered as evening drew on. 

Almost at the outset a disturbing strife arose among 
the disciples as to which of them should he accounted 
greatest. After uttering a gentle but effective re- 
buke, Jesus proceeded to wash their travel-stained feet, 
thereby demonstrating the greatness and pre-eminence 
of service. Immediately after this object lesson Jesus 
continued his remarks on humility and taught that 
greatness was possible to them all, except to one — 
Judas. This avaricious treasurer of the company, be- 
ing further denounced by Jesus as a traitor, left the 
table to go on his errand of betrayal. 

During the evening, probably near its close, Jesus 
instituted the simple but impressive service which, 
in its memorial form, has been preserved to us in the 
‘ ‘ Lord ’s Supper . 9 9 Then followed a farewell conversa- 
tion in which, after foretelling his denial by Peter, 
Jesus sought to prepare his disciples for the days when 
he should be no longer with them. The conversation 
is noteworthy for his confident faith in God, for the 
tenderness and patience shown to his disciples, and 
also for the promise of the Holy Spirit, who should be 
sent for their guidance after his departure. 


THE STORY OF THURSDAY 


159 


Later in the evening, after the farewell words had 
been spoken, and while they were all standing, Jesus 
led them in prayer. It was a prayer that they might 
be untouched by the evil of the world, and be made 
holy, as befitted members of a spiritual kingdom; 
that they and all later disciples might possess the one- 
ness of purpose that characterized the Son of God and 
his Father; and, finally, that they might share with 
their Master eternal life, because animated by his 
love and his spirit. 

When the prayer was ended, Jesus and his eleven 
faithful followers sang a hymn and went out into the 
night in the direction of the Mount of Olives. 

PREPARATION FOR THE PASSOVER. 

Now on the first day of unleavened bread, when they 
sacrificed the passover, the disciples came to Jesus, saying 
unto him, “Where wilt thou that we go and make ready 
that thou mayest eat the passover ?” 

And he sendeth two of his disciples, Peter and John, and 
saith unto them, “Go into the city, and there shall meet 
you a man bearing a pitcher of water; follow him; and 
wheresoever he shall enter in, say to the master of the 
house, ‘The Teacher saith, My time is at hand. I keep the 
passover at thy house. Where is my guest-chamber, where 
I shall eat the passover with my disciples?’ And he will 
himself show you a large upper room furnished and ready: 
and there make ready for us the passover, that we may 
eat.” 

And the disciples went forth, and came into the city, 
and found as he had said unto them: and the disciples did 
as Jesus appointed them, and they made ready the passover. 
(His Last Week, p. 27; Mt. 26:17-19; Mk. 14:12-16; Lk. 
22:7-13.) 

Sacrificed the Passover . (Mk. 14:12.) Tradition 
connects the observance of the Jewish Passover, or 
Feast of Unleavened Bread, with the exodus of the 
Israelites from Egypt on that long-ago night when the 


160 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


destroying angel smote the first-born of the Egyptians, 
but passed over the homes of the Hebrews, on whose 
door-posts was sprinkled the blood of the sacrificial 
lamb. In the Old Testament celebration of that event 
the sacrifices were slain in the homes of the partici- 
pants, but in later memorial observances the animals 
were killed only in the temple at Jerusalem, in which 
city alone the Passover sacrifice could be offered. 

The connection of sacrifice with feast, though es- 
pecially prominent in this case, was not a new one, 
either among the Jews or their neighbors. In the older 
days of the tribal religion, every feast partook of the 
nature of a sacrifice, the tribal god having his share 
with the other members of the tribe. Even the animal 
is supposed by most authorities to have been consid- 
ered a part of the tribe. The partaking of the same life 
and blood brought the partakers into a close blood- 
relation in which each was bound to help the other. 

The Passover season was marked by a succession of 
solemn and joyous ceremonies, beginning with the 
paschal supper. The first and last days of the festival 
were kept holy and all devout Jews abstained from 
work on those days. 

The Passover was celebrated from the 15th to the 
21st of the Hebrew month Nisan, at about the same 
time of year as our Easter, and was determined in 
much the same way. In the earlier days its deter- 
mination was much less exact than it became later, ow- 
ing to the absence of a fixed calendar. It came at the 
time of harvest at the beginning of the Jewish year. 
From time to time, as the condition of the crops de- 
manded, a thirteenth month was added to the year in 
order to make these two dates coincide. The need of 
this correction is easily seen from the fact that the 


THE STORY OF THURSDAY 


161 


months were lunar months. The adding of a month 
was always decided by the Sanhedrin, who sent the 
signal of the opening of the new month all over the land 
of Palestine by means of fires on the hill tops. Later, 
when the Samaritans lighted fires to confuse the Jews, 
messengers were sent. About the time of Christ there 
came to be a fixed calendar. 

Origin of the Passover . The paschal lamb was 
originally slain by the head of each family in his house, 
but afterwards in the court of the temple where stood 
the brazen altar. After it was slain came the supper 
set out in some place prepared. This was upon the 
evening following the 14th Nisan; or, since the Jews 
counted the day to begin at sunset, on the beginning 
of the 15th. The lamb was to be wholly consumed be- 
fore morning by eating or by fire. 

The feast of unleavened bread, though to be dis- 
tinguished from the paschal supper, yet began at the 
same time, inasmuch as all leaven was removed from 
the house by noon on the 14th, and no leavened bread 
eaten after this. But while the paschal supper was 
with unleavened bread, as was the rest of the feast, it 
had two elements peculiar to itself, the lamb and the 
bitter herbs. In one sense it was the beginning of the 
feast, but in another, it was regarded as distinct 
from it. As the paschal lamb was wholly consumed at 
the paschal supper, and as unleavened bread would 
but poorly furnish a festal table, other food must be 
provided and was done in the Chagigah, or peace offer- 
ings made in connection with the Passover, which em- 
braced the sacrifices of sheep and bullocks. — Andrews, 
Life of our Lord, pp. 452, 453. 

The Passover in the time of Christ . At this feast 
the Jews divided themselves into companies or house- 


162 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


holds, of not less than ten nor more than twenty per- 
sons; and these together consumed the paschal lamb. 
One of the number, acting as the representative of all, 
presented the lamb in the court of the temple, and 
aided the Levites in its sacrifice. The victim was then 
carried away by the offerer to the house where it was 
to be eaten, and there wholly consumed. On this oc- 
casion Peter and John acted as the representatives of 
the Lord and of his Apostles at the temple, and pro- 
vided the bread, wine, bitter herbs, and all that was 
necesssary for the proper celebration of the feast; 
and it is probable, therefore, that they went early in 
the day, though the cleansing of the house from leaven 
was the work of the owner.— Andrews, Life of Our 
Lord, p. 451. 

The Passover as now observed by Palestine Jews. 
The Passover ritual has undergone a change since 
the days of Moses, but unleavened bread is still a 
prominent feature in the observance. It is baked in 
round cakes, ten to eighteen inches in diameter, thin 
as a blotting sheet, hard and brittle. That baked in 
Sidon is three or four times more expensive than ordi- 
nary leavened bread, and what comes from Damascus 
is still more expensive, for in either case the wheat of 
which the unleavened bread is made is literally picked 
grain by grain, and thoroughly washed and dried. The 
mill which reduces it to flour is also cleansed by thor- 
ough washing. Then the oven is purified, first by wash- 
ing, and then heated to excess for forty-eight hours, 
and then tempered to receive and bake the unleavened 
dough for use during seven days (Exod. 13:6). The 
lamb of Exodus 12 is no longer a necessary part of the 
observance ; a leg may be substituted for it. This is 
allowed on the ground of poverty. While there is no 


THE STORY OF THURSDAY 


163 


priest, altar, or sacrifice, in tlie ancient sense, still it 
wonld seem as if the idea of sacrifice is ever present. 
Two nomad families, who a few weeks ago were camp- 
ing opposite my window, sacrificed a sheep and dis- 
tributed the flesh among the poor. This sacrifice they 
offer annually in behalf of a boy, son of one of the two 
families. Instances of this kind are numerous. Does 
this show that the Passover heart-idea, — namely, vicar- 
ious sacrifice, — still clings to the Oriental mind? — 
Mrs. Ghosn-el-Howie in S. S. Times. 

The Passover as observed by the Samaritans . 
While the Jewish forms of observing the Passover had 
undergone great change even in the time of Christ, 
the Samaritans still sacrifice the paschal lamb on 
Mount Gerizim each year at the time of the Passover, 
scrupulously observing their ancient customs. 

The time of Christ’s last supper. (1) The problem. 
— At this point in the narrative there confronts us one 
of the most difficult of the questions of harmony and 
chronology with which the student of the life of Jesus 
has to deal. There is an apparent difference between 
John and the synoptists respecting the night on which 
Jesus ate the last supper with his disciples and re- 
specting the day on which he was crucified. This ap- 
parent difference pertains, however, not to the day of 
the week. Both John and the synoptists mention the 
Preparation, i. e., Friday, as the day of Jesus ’ death 
(Mk. 15:42; Lk. 23:54; Jn. 19:31, 42). The uncertain- 
ty concerns the day of the month. It is to be borne in 
mind that the Passover lamb was killed in the temple 
the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan, and eaten in the 
night following, which the Jews counted as belonging 
to the 15th day. The question at issue is whether J esus 
ate the Passover at the usual time and was crucified on 


164 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


the following morning, that of the 15th, or whether he 
was crucified on the morning of the 14th before the 
Passover had been killed. 



THE JOURNEY OF THURSDAY 


The obvious meaning of the synoptic account is that 
Jesus ate the passover at the regular time, and was 
crucified on the 15th of Nisan (Mk. 14:12, 14, 16, 17; 
Lk. 22:14, 15). On the other hand John seems to say 
that Jesus was crucified before the passover, viz., on 
the 14th of Nisan (Jn. 13:1, 29; 18:28; 19:14). 



THE STORY OF THURSDAY 


165 


(2) Solution of the Problem. — Some scholars accept 
the view of John just referred to, which places the 
death of Jesus before the passover, and maintain that 
the synoptic account can be harmonized with this view 
of John’s meaning. 

Others hold that there is an irreconcilable discrep- 
ancy between John and the synoptists, the synoptists 
placing Jesus’ death on the 15th of Nisan, John plac- 
ing it on the 14th. 

Still others hold that the obvious view of the synoptic 
arrangement must be accepted, and that the statements 
of John on careful examination yield the same result. — 
Condensed from Burton, Life of Christ, from unpub- 
lished notes in Bible Study Manual, p. 292. 

On the first day of unleavened bread . (Mk. 14:12.) 
During the entire Passover festival, which lasted a 
week, only unleavened bread was used, in accordance 
with laws laid down in Ex. 23 :18 and 34 :25, also Deut. 
16 :3. In the latter passage these cakes made without 
yeast are named “the bread of affliction,” recalling the 
anxiety and haste of the Israelites’ departure from 
Egypt, when there was no time for the setting of the 
dough. 

Even at the present day the Jews of Palestine give 
the utmost attention to the preparation and baking of 
their Passover bread, in order to exclude any possible 
bit of leaven; and, as though that were not sufficient, 
the women busy themselves for days before the feast in 
dusting and washing the floors and furniture, lest some 
particle of leavened bread be found in their dwelling 
at that holy season. 

Although the feast did not properly begin until the 
15th of Nisan, it was not unnatural for Matthew and 
Mark to have referred to the preceding day, by which 


166 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


time all leaven must be removed from the homes, as 
“the first day of unleavened bread/ ’ 

He sendeth two of his disciples. (Mk. 14:13.) 
Luke tells us that Peter and John were the two chosen 
to secure the room and food for the supper. Whether 
it had been pre-arranged that the man bearing the 
pitcher should meet them is not definitely stated, but it 
would seem that Jesus had some secret understanding 
with the householder who was to give them the use 
of his guest-chamber, since the room was to be “fur- 
nished and ready.” It was desirable that Jesus con- 
ceal his movements as long as possible from his 
enemies, especially from Judas, who was awaiting an 
early opportunity to deliver his Master to the hostile 
rulers. 

“My time is at hand .” (Mt. 26:18.) Some Bible 
scholars consider that the expression “My time is at 
hand” was the password agreed upon for the dis- 
ciples’ use in gaining admittance to the proper house. 

“The master of the house.” (Mk. 14:14.) If the 
upper room was the same in which the disciples con- 
tinued to meet until and after the imprisonment of 
Peter, it was the house of Mary, the mother of Mark. 
Mark is the only one of the evangelists who speaks of 
“the good man of the house,” or “master of the 
house.” It is very possible that Mark himself was the 
man of the house. 

The renting of guest chambers. Many houses in 
J erusalem appear to have been built with the purpose 
of having a room to rent to pilgrims from afar who 
came to the feasts. 

A large upper room. (Mk. 14:15.) In the south- 
west corner of Jerusalem, in the midst of a group of 
buildings known as The Tomb of David, is a room 


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167 


which is regarded by many as the real coenaculum, or 
chamber of the Last Supper. There is no probability 
that the room is authentic, particularly if we believe 
the testimony of Josephus, who states that the entire 
city of Jerusalem was ploughed up at the time of its 
capture by Titus. 

If the Upper Room could certainly be identified it 
would be one of the holiest places in Christendom. 
There the Lord ate the Last Supper with the disciples 
and talked to them of the most exalted themes. There 
he appeared to them on Easter evening, and again a 
week later. There the disciples assembled after the 
ascension and until Pentecost. There the Church was 
born in the descent of the Spirit. 

Of the traditional “ Upper Room” George Adam 
Smith says: “ Three qestions arise concerning the 
upper room in which our Lord kept the passover with 
his disciples. First : Is it the same as that in which 
the disciples gathered after his ascension? Second : 
Did it remain the usual meeting-place of the church 
till the destruction of Jerusalem? Third: Did either 
the upper room or the church, or both, occupy the site 
with which a very old tradition has identified them — 
the present coenaculum in the complex of buildings 
known as Neby Daud (on the southwest hill) ? These 
questions have recently been answered in the affirma- 
tive by writers of different schools. Dr. Sanday, for 
example does “not think there is any reason to doubt 
that where the ‘upper room’ is mentioned in the gos- 
pels and Acts, it is the same upper room that is 
meant.” Nor does he think it “a very precarious step 
to identify this upper room as in the house of Mary 
the mother of Mark.” . . . The present writer 

would willingly agree with these opinions, both for 


168 • 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


their own attractiveness and from his respect for the 
authority of those who hold them. But while the facts 
alleged are within the bounds of possibility, they are 
not very probable. One need not, indeed, be hindered 
by the objection that Luke uses one word for “ upper 
chamber ’ ’ in the gospel and another in Acts. But Luke 
would surely have noticed the identity. It is still more 
precarious to argue both that this was in the house of 
Mark’s mother, and that it remained the meeting-place 
of the church till 66 A. D. Considering the rapid 
growth of the community and other circumstances of 
their life, it is more probable that their meeting-place 
changed from time to time. — Jerusalem, vol ii, pp. 567, 
569. 

The present writer feels that Dr. Smith understates 
the case in admitting that the upper room in the Gos- 
pels is identical with that in the Acts. It appears not 
merely ‘ 4 within the bounds of possibility,” but in the 
absence of any adverse evidence highly probable. 

They made ready the passover . (Mk. 14:16.) 
Passover is here used for the paschal supper, which 
was eaten immediately after the slaying and roasting 
of the paschal lamb, late on the 14th of Nisan, or early 
on the 15th, as the J ewish days began at sunset. 

In preparing for the meal the following articles of 
food were required: an unblemished yearling lamb, 
which had been slain in the temple before the priest; 
unleavened cakes ; bitter herbs ; wine, mixed with 
water; and a mixture called charoseth, made chiefly of 
dried fruits, vinegar and spices. This latter dish is 
said to have commemorated the mortar of the Egyptian 
bondage, while the herbs mentioned above recalled 
the bitterness of that service. 

The Passover meal was an important prelude to the 


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169 


ceremonies of Passover Week, recalling, as it did, the 
Jews’ deliverance from bondage and the covenant of 
blood between them and Jehovah. The usual mode of 
celebrating was by families, but sometimes by groups 
of close friends, “not less than ten nor more than 
twenty persons/ ’ of whom one was the “ proclaimer ’ ’ 
of the feast. The supper of Jesus and his disciples 
was of the latter type and that it partook of the nature 
of a family gathering made the treachery of Judas the 
more heinous. 

STRIFE AMONG THE DISCIPLES. 

And when it was evening he cometh with the twelve. 
And there arose also a contention among them, which of 
them was accounted to be greatest. And he said unto 
them, “The kings of the Gentiles have lordship over them; 
and they that have authority over them are called Bene- 
factors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is the greater 
among you, let him become as the younger: and he that 
is chief, as he that doth serve. For which is greater, he 
that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? Is not he that 
sitteth at meat? But I am in the midst of you as he that 
serveth. But ye are they that have continued with me in 
my temptations; and I appoint unto you a kingdom, even 
as my Father appointed unto me, that ye may eat and 
drink at my table in my kingdom; and ye shall sit on 
thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (His Last 
Week, pp. 27-8; Lk. 22:24-30.) 

When it was evening. (Mk. 14:17.) How Jesus 
spent the early part of the day is not known, but it is 
more than likely that it was passed in the quiet of 
Bethany with his disciples and intimate friends. By 
sunset or earlier he would have to be within the limits 
of Jerusalem, where the paschal supper was to be 
eaten. 

A contention among them. (Lk. 22:24.) The 
question of pre-eminence among the disciples was not 
a new one, but on this occasion it may have risen 


170 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


afresh when they were seating themselves at the table 
and places of honor were coveted. Perhaps, too, there 
was jealousy in the hearts of some because all the 
arrangements for the Passover meal had been put in 
the hands of but two of the disciples. 

The strife for precedence among the twelve . (Lk. 
22:24-30.) This strife would come most naturally at 
the beginning of the supper, and find its cause in the 
desire to be as near to the Lord as possible, the present 
degree of nearness to the king being an index of rank 
in the future Messianic kingdom. — Andrews, Life of 
Our Lord, p. 483. 

“Continued with me in my temptations.” (Lk. 22: 

28. ) This does not refer to the temptations in the 
wilderness. The trials which Jesus had undergone, 
especially during the latter part of his ministry, must 
often have tempted him to abandon his mission, and 
the loyalty, thus far, of his disciples had been an im- 
mense encouragement to him. The temptations of 
Jesus continued to the very foot of the cross, but he 
rose above them all. 

“Eat and drink . . . in my kingdom” (Lk. 22: 

29. ) Such passages as Mt. 8:11 indicate that the com- 
ing kingdom of the Messiah was commonly regarded 
among the Jews as a place of feasting. 

THE BETRAYER POINTED OUT. 

When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in the spirit, 
and as they sat and were eating he testified, and said, 
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray 
me. Behold, the hand of him that betray eth me is with 
me on the table.” 

The disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom 
he spake. And they began to, question among themselves, 
which of them it was that should do this thing. And they 
were exceeding sorrowful, and began to say unto him 
every one, “Is it I, Lord?” 


THE STORY OF THURSDAY 


171 


And he answered and said, “He that dipped his hand 
with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son 
of man goeth, even as it is written of him: but woe unto 
that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! 
Good were it for that man if he had not been born.” 

And Judas, who betrayed him, answered and said, “Is it 
I, Rabbi?” 

He saith unto him, “Thou hast said.” 

There was at the table reclining in Jesus’ bosom one of 
his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore 
beckoneth to him, and saith unto him, “Tell us who it is 
of whom he speaketh.” 

He leaning back, as he was, on Jesus’ breast, saith unto 
him, “Lord, who is it?” 

Jesus therefore answereth, “He it is, for whom I shall 
dip the sop, and give it him. For the Son of man indeed 
goeth, even as it is written of him; but woe unto that man 
through whom the Son of man is betrayed! Good were 
it for that man if he had not been born.” 

So when he had dipped the sop, he taketh and giveth it 
to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. And after the sop, 
then entered Satan into him. 

Jesus therefore saith unto him, “What thou doest, do 
quickly.” 

Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake 
this unto him. For some thought because Judas had the 
bag, that Jesus said unto him, “Buy what things we have 
need of for the feast,” or that he should give something 
to the poor. He then having received the sop went out 
straightway: and it was night. 

When therefore he was gone out, Jesus saith, “Now is 
the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him ; and 
God shall glorify him in himself, and straightway shall he 
glorify him.” (His Last Week, pp. 29-30; Mt. 26:21-25; 
Mk. 14:18-21; Lk. 22:21-23; Jn. 13:21-35.) 

As they sat and were eating . (Mk. 14:18.) The 
Greek word is “reclined.” Oriental families at meal 
time were accustomed to gather about low tabourets, 
but the table used for feasts was usually the Roman 
triclinium. Its form was such that it enclosed three 
sides of a rectangular space which was reserved for 


172 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


the servants. The guests reclined upon couches, 
each resting upon his left elbow, with the right hand 
free for eating. The guest reclining at one’s right 
hand was said to be “ lying in his bosom” — a familiar 
expression found in the classics as well as in the New 
Testament. The Romans had a saying that the number 
of guests should be “not less than the Graces nor more 
than the Muses.” In the case of Jesus and his dis- 
ciples, however, the presence of Judas brought the 
number at the table up to thirteen and furnished the 
basis for a later foolish superstition concerning that 
number. 

Precisely how the disciples were arranged at table 
we do not know. The usual, though not invariable, 
place for a host was at the left hand angle, where he 
could most easily see the largest number of his guests. 
If Jesus sat there, Judas probably was around the 
corner at his left. John, we know, was at Jesus’ right 
hand ( Jn. 13 :23), and Peter probably was on the other 
side of J ohn or opposite to him. 

As they were eating. (Mt. 26:21.) Jewish authori- 
ties differ as to the order observed in eating the Pass- 
over supper, but the ritual of the Talmudists gives the 
following order: (1.) The blessing upon the meal; 
drinking of the first cup of wine; washing of hands. 
(2.) Thanksgiving; eating of hitter herbs. (3.) Bring- 
ing in of the unleavened bread, the sauce ( eharoseth ), 
the lamb and the thank offerings. (4.) Benediction, 
and eating of herbs dipped in the sauce. (5.) The 
father explains to his youngest children the meaning of 
the feast. (6.) Singing of Psalms 113 and 114 ; prayer ; 
drinking of the second cup of wine. (7.) The father 
breaks and blesses the bread, dips it in the sauce and 
eats it with thanksgiving. Partakes of the thank-of- 


THE STORY OF THURSDAY 


173 


ferings and of the lamb. (8.) The meal continues, each 
eating what he pleases, but eating, last of all, of the 
lamb. (9.) Washing of hands; third cup of wine; 
thanksgiving. (10.) Singing of Psalms 115-118. (11.) 
Fourth, and sometimes fifth, cup of wine. (12.) Sing- 
ing of the “ great Hallel” (Psalms 120-137). 

The shadow at the supper . The supper was over; 
but the friends had much to say to one another that 
night, and they lingered long around the table. They 
did not know it was the last supper, never dreamed 
of it ; but there had been an unusual sweetness in their 
intercourse, and they talked on and on. The hour grew 
late, but John still leaned on his Master’s breast, and 
the others, grouped round in the twilight, drank in the 
solemn gladness of the communion evening. Suddenly 
a shadow falls over this scene. A sinister figure rises 
stealthily, takes the bag, and makes for the door un- 
observed. Jesus calls him; hands him the sop. The 
spell is broken. A terrible revulsion of feeling comes 
over him — as if a stab in the dark had struck into his 
heart. He cannot go on now. It is useless to try. He 
cannot keep up the perhaps forced spirits. — Henry 
Drummond, The Ideal Life, p. 66. 

Judas Iscariot . The “betrayer.” Probably from 
Kerioth, a place in Southern Judaea. “Simon’s son” 
( Jn. 13 :2). He was the only non-Galilean apostle, and 
the treasurer of the Twelve, but a petty embezzler. 
That Jesus knew Judas would betray him is stated in 
Jn. 6:64, 70. Hence the choice of such a one as an 
apostle is difficult to explain. The attempt to extenuate 
his treason is a failure, as, for example, that he ex- 
pected to hasten the triumphant manifestation of 
Jesus. He repented, it is true, but died a suicide, and 
his apostasy is attributed to the influence of Satan ( Jn. 


174 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


13 :27), though avarice was a human motive. — Prof. M. 
B. Riddle, in S. S. Times. 

“Is it I , Rabbi?” (Mt. 26 :25.) This question, which 
in its Greek form implies a negative answer, had been 
asked by each of the disciples in turn, and now the 
hypocritical Judas repeats it, substituting for the in- 
timate “Lord,” used by the others, a more formal 
title, yet one of great respect. “Rabbi” in Hebrew 
means “my master,” and in New Testament times was 
a courteous title used when addressing learned teach- 
ers who were not priests. In John 3:26 it is applied 
to John the Baptist. Jesus forbade his disciples to 
covet or use the title (Mt. 23:7, 8). 

“Dipped with me in the dish” (Mt. 26:23.) In- 
dividual dishes at the table never have been common 
among the people of the Orient. If the food is of a 
semi-liquid nature it is placed in a large dish and each 
partaker removes his successive mouthfuls by means 
of a thin piece of bread folded in the shape of a scoop. 
As the bread is consumed along with the food which 
it lifts, a fresh piece always comes in contact with the 
contents of the dish. 

Only members of a family or close friends ate from 
a common dish, and the fact that Judas “dipped his 
hand” in the same dish with his Master served to 
heighten his subsequent treachery, 

“Thou hast said” (Mt. 26:25.) “A formula of 
assent both in Hebrew and Greek, and still used in 
Palestine in that sense.” If spoken aloud, on this 
occasion, it was probably worded thus in order not to 
direct suspicion too strongly against Judas and thus 
thwart him in his plans. It may, however, have been 
spoken in J udas ’ ear alone, for the other disciples con- 
tinued to question as to the identity of the traitor. 


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175 


Dipped the sop . (Jn. 13:26.) The lamb is served on 
a large platter, the host serving it with his hands, 
and being careful not to break the bones. After this 
the bread is dipped in the gravy in the platter. The 
guests dip their own bread, but those who are nearer 
dip and hand to those more remote. If the host dips 
a sop and hands it to a guest, it is a mark of special 
favor. 

Having received the sop , went out. (Jn. 13:30.) For 
centuries theologians have attempted unsuccessfully 
to determine whether or not Judas partook of the eu- 
charistic supper. John alone of the Gospel writers 
mentions the withdrawal of Judas, but the exact time 
is uncertain, as no account of the eucharistic supper is 
given in that Gospel. The synoptists seem to imply 
that he partook both of the bread and of the cup, and 
this view is held by the majority of writers in the early 
Church and in the Middle Ages. A contrary opinion, 
however, is held by most modern commentators. 

It was night. (Jn. 13:30.) The full paschal moon 
was shining, but the court-yard into which Judas de- 
scended from the Upper Room may have ben in the 
shadow, contrasting strongly with the light within the 
room. The disciples remembered the departure of 
Judas with a sense of the chill of the midnight. 

JESUS WASHES THE DISCIPLES’ FEET. 

Now before the feast of the passover, Jesus knowing that 
his hour was come that he should depart out of this world 
unto the Father, having loved his own that were in the 
world, he loved them unto the end. 

And during supper, the devil having already put into 
the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into 
his hands, and that he came forth from God, and goeth 
unto God, riseth from supper, and layeth aside his gar- 
ments; and he took a towel, and girded himself. Then 


176 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


he poureth water into the basin, and began to wash the 
disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel where- 
with he was girded. 

So he cometh to Simon Peter. He saith unto him, 
“Lord, dost thou wash my feet?” 

Jesus answered and said unto him, “What I do thou 
knowest not now; but thou shalt understand hereafter.” 

Peter saith unto him, “Thou shalt never wash my feet.” 

Jesus answered him, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no 
part with me.” 

Simon Peter saith unto him, “Lord, not my feet only, 
but also my hands and my head.” 

Jesus saith to him, “He that is bathed needeth not save 
to wash his feet, but is clean every whit : and ye are clean, 
but not all.” For he knew him that should betray him; 
therefore said he, “Ye are not all clean.” 

So when he had washed their feet, and taken his gar- 
ments, and sat down again, he said unto them, “Know ye 
what I have done to you? Ye call me Teacher, and Lord; 
and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the 
Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash 
one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, 
that ye also should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, 
I say unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord; 
neither one that is sent greater than he that sent him. If 
ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them. 

“I speak not of you all. I know whom I have chosen; 
but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth my 
bread lifted up his heel against me. From henceforth I 
tell you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to 
pass, ye may believe that I am he. Verily, verily, I say 
unto, you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth 
me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” 
(His Last Week, pp. 28-29; Jn. 13:1-21.) 

He began to wash the disciples 9 feet. (Jn. 13:5.) 
Jesus had just said, “I am in the midst of you as he 
that serveth,” and immediately proved it by perform- 
ing this menial task which ought to have been done by 
one of his disciples. They were in a borrowed room and 
probably without the services of the house-servant 
whose duty it was to bathe the feet of guests. The 


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177 


Oriental sandal affords little protection against the 
dust of eastern roads, and our Lord and his disciples 
had just taken the long, hot walk from Bethany. 

When using the customary basin and pitcher it was 
difficult to wash one ’s own feet, so that task was usually 
performed by another. On this occasion each disciple 
may have felt reluctant to begin the service, lest he 
appear inferior to his companions. 

Jesus ’ act of humility probably took place in the 
early part of the supper, very likely immediately after 
the contention as to who should be accounted greatest, 
and as a rebuke to those who had been at strife. 

The washing of the disciples ’ feet . The first event to 
be considered which certainly took place in this up- 
per room was the washing of the disciples ’ feet. The 
occasion of it is not given. It may have been some 
feeling of jealousy caused by the positions occupied 
at the table. As the service itself was one usually per- 
formed by slaves, Jesus attired himself as a slave, thus 
making the lesson of the act more plain and impres- 
sive. This lesson was that of service. The washing 
of the disciples’ feet was saying in the language of 
action that the Son of man came not to be ministered 
unto but to minister, and that the law of his kingdom 
was the law of helpfulness. — Gilbert, Student’s Life of 
Jesus, p. 341-343. 

“Dost thou wash my feet?” (Jn. 13:7.) The posi- 
tion of “thou” and “my” in the original passage is 
strikingly emphatic — “Thou my feet wash!” — as 
though such an act on the part of his Lord was un- 
thinkable to Peter. 

“Ye ought to wash one another’s feet.” (Jn. 13: 
14.) A literal interpretation of these words narrows 
and degrades Jesus’ meaning, yet for centuries, in cer- 


178 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


tain parts of Christendom, foot-washing has been the 
distinguishing feature of Maundy Thursday, a name 
given in ecclesiastical circles to the Thursday of Pas- 
sion Week. “Maundy” is from the M. Eng. maunde 
(meaning mandate), probably derived from the second 
word of the Latin norum mandatum, “a new com- 
mandment” (Jn. 13:34). On this day the Pope is ac- 
customed to wash the feet of twelve or more aged pau- 
pers, the Norum Mandatum is sung, and doles are 
given to the poor. These customs are still carried out 
in all Roman Catholic countries and in the Greek 
Church of Russia, and were formerly practiced by the 
monarchs of some countries. Foot-washing as the 
chief ceremony of the day has prevailed from the early 
Middle Ages. After the first half of the 18th century 
it was abandoned in England, but a presentation of 
Maundy Pennies takes place yearly in Westminster 
Abbey, with elaborate ceremonies. 

In the Church of Rome it is on Maundy Thursday 
that the sacred oil is blessed and the chrism prepared. 

“He that eateth my bread.” (Jn. 13:18.) Jesus 
here quotes a portion of Psalm 41:9, where reference 
evidently was made to the treachery of Ahithophel 
against David, now paralleled by that of Judas against 
Jesus. In the Orient nothing is considered more rep- 
rehensible than for one to betray the friendship of him 
with whom he has broken bread. Partakers of a com- 
mon dish are called by the Arabs, “brothers of the 
bread,” pledged to promote each other’s welfare. 

THE LORD’S SUPPER. 

And he said unto them, “With desire I have desired to 
eat this passover with you before I suffer: for I say unto 
you, I shall not eat it until it be fulfilled in the Kingdom 
of God.” 


THE STORY OF THURSDAY 


179 


And as they were eating he took bread, and when he had 
given thanks, he brake it, and gave to them, saying, “Take, 
eat; this is my body; which is given for you; this do. in 
remembrance of me.” 

And he took a cup, in like manner after supper, and 
gave thanks, and gave to them and they all drank of it. 
And he said unto them, “Drink ye all of it; for this cup 
is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for 
you, for many, unto remission of sins. Take this and divide 
it among yourselves; for I say unto you, I shall not drink 
from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until that day when 
I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” (His 
Last Week, p. 30; Mt. 26:26-29; Mk. 14:22-25; Lk. 22: 
19-20.) 

“With desire I have desired to eat this Passover 
with you before I suffer.” (Lk. 22 :14.) The suffering 
was so certain and so near that he assumes it. He was 
drawn to it as by a spell — the spell of his great saving 
purpose. But the clinging human love is also there, 
and he permits us to see how strong and tender it is. 
He speaks as a dying friend, or brother, or father 
would speak. How near to us all this brings the 
Christ! Momentous things were to be said and done 
at this Passover. Its record, therefore, is fully de- 
tailed — his great lesson of brotherly service; the un- 
masking of the traitor ; the institution of his own new 
Covenant Feast, to “show forth his death until he 
come”; the last and greatest of his discourses; the 
solemn farewell to his own; his great intercessory 
prayer. Henceforth they would no more “know Christ 
after the flesh.” — Henry Allon, The Indwelling Christ, 
p. 290. 

The Lord's Supper. There are four accounts of the 
institution of the Supper, the earliest being by Paul 
(I Cor. 11:23-26), the other three being by the synop- 
tists (Mk. 14:22-25; Mt. 26:26-29; Lk. 22:15-20). John 
says nothing of the Supper, but the fundamental truth 


180 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


which the supper teaches is found oftener in John’s 
Gospel than in either of the others (e. g. Jn. 6). 

The four accounts of the institution of the Supper 
fall into two groups, those of Luke and Paul forming 
one, and those of Mathew and Mark the other. The 
differences between the two groups and also between 
the two members of each group are significant, but 
need not here be examined in detail. In Paul and Luke 
the memorial character of the Supper is expressly 
stated, while in Mark and Matthew it does not appear. 
Yet this thought is surely involved in the observance 
itself. The broken bread and the wine symbolizing the 
body and the blood of Jesus, as all four accounts teach, 
inevitably turn the thought to him, and so the Supper 
must of necessity be a memorial. Mark and Matthew 
say that the blood is shed for many , Matthew adding 
to this the words, unto remission of sins . Both these 
thoughts are wanting in the narratives of Paul and 
Luke. In Paul and Luke the Lord is represented as 
saying to his disciples that his body is for them. In 
Mark and Matthew the horizon is broadened, and 
though it is not said for whom the body is destined, 
it is said that the blood is shed for many. — George Hol- 
ley Gilbert, Student’s Life of Jesus, p. 265-266. 

The breaking of Jesus' reserve. Jesus broke his 
reserve on the last night of the three years’ fellowship, 
when he was about to depart from his disciples’ sight 
by the way of the cross, and they would be left to face 
the world in his name. They had come together to the 
veil, and before he passed within, through his rent 
body, he must give his friends an assurance of the un- 
seen that their hearts may not be troubled. As often 
as he had spoken of the Ageless Life he had touched 
on the life to come, now he gave his solitary deliverance 


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181 


on the sphere of that life, and the form is characteristic 
of the Master. There conld never be competition or 
comparison between Jesns and St. John; the magnifi- 
cence of the Apocalypse fades before one simple word 
of the last discourse. Jesus utilises the great parable 
of the Family for the last time ; and as he had invested 
Fatherhood and Sonhood with their highest meaning 
so he now spiritualizes Home. What Mary’s cottage 
at Bethany had been to the little company during the 
Holy Week, with its quiet rest after the daily turmoil 
of Jerusalem; what some humble house on the shore 
of Galilee was to St. John, with its associations of Sa- 
lome; what the great Temple was to the pious Jews, 
with its presence of the Eternal, that on the higher scale 
was Heaven. Jesus availed himself of a wealth of ten- 
der recollections and placed Heaven in the heart of 
humanity when he said, “My Father’s House.” — John 
Watson, The Mind of the Master, pp. 300-1. 

The need of a rite . As yet, they had no rite, however 
simple, to form a centre round which they might perma- 
nently gather. Some emblem was needed, by which 
they might hereafter be distinguished; some common 
bond, which should outwardly link them to each other, 
and to their common Master. The passover had been 
the symbol of the theocracy of the past, and had given 
the people of God an outward, ever-recurring remem- 
brance of their relations to each other, and their in- 
visible King. As the founder of the New Israel, Jesus 
would now institute a special rite for its members, in 
all ages and countries. The Old Covenant of God with 
the Jews had found its vivid embodiment in the yearly 
festivity he had that night, for the last time, observed. 
The New Covenant must, henceforth, have an outward 
embodiment also. — Geikie, Life of Christ, vol. ii, p. 474. 


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The relation of the Supper to the Passover . In con- 
sistency with the passover, and in the manner of that 
feast, Jesus took the bread, the unleavened cake, said 
over it the thanksgiving, which at the same time was 
the blessing of the gift, brake the bread, and shared it 
among the disciples. Instead of the Old Testament 
words of distribution, however, he spoke entirely new 
ones: “Take eat; this is my body, which is given for 
you; this do in remembrance of me.” 

And he took the cup, the third ritually appointed 
cup, as it followed upon the meal, spake the words of 
consecration and thanksgiving over it, and gave it to 
them, with the words, “Drink ye all of it,” and they 
all drank of it (Mk. 14:23). Then he spake again, 
“This is my blood, the blood of the new covenant, 
which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Do 
this, as oft [as] ye shall drink it, in remembrance of 
me” (I Cor. 11 :25). — Lange, Life of Christ, vol. iii, pp. 
134, 135. 

He took bread . . . and brake it. (Mt. 26:26.) 
This breaking of bread probably marks the beginning 
of the institution known as the Lord’s Supper. In 
its origin it is closely associated with the Passover sup- 
per, but it is in no proper sense a perpetuation of that 
celebration. It was not the paschal lamb that was 
eaten, but the bloodless bread of the table. This com- 
mon staff of life, by which the physical being of all 
present was constantly sustained, was used as the 
symbol for emphasizing the common source of spiritual 
life. 

When he had given thanks . (Lk. 22:19.) Akin to 
the Greek verb which is used in this passage to express 
the giving of thanks, is the noun from which we get 


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our English word Eucharist, a name applied to the 
sacrament of the Lord’s Supper as kept in all Chris- 
tian churches since the resurrection of Christ. The 
institution is so called from the blessing and thanks- 
giving with which the supper of our Lord with his dis- 
ciples began and ended. 

“This is my body.” (Mt. 26:26.) Many volumes 
have been written in an attempt to explain these words 
of Jesus. According to the Roman Catholic doctrine 
of ‘ ‘ transubstantiation, ’ ’ they are to be taken literally, 
as meaning that the partaker of the Eucharist receives, 
in the bread and wine, the actual body and blood of 
Christ. Most Protestants, however, believe the words 
to be symbolical, like so much of Jesus’ language, and 
claim that there is no more reason for a literal inter- 
pretation here than in similar expressions of his, such 
as, “I am the door of the sheep” and “I am the true 
vine . 9 9 Considered symbolically, the words 6 1 This is my 
body” mean much the same as those spoken earlier in 
Jesus’ ministry, where he says, “I am the bread of life. 
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from 
heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” 

The bread of life. It is significant that throughout 
Christ’s ministry he uses ordinary things — things 
whose meaning is easily understood — in order to con- 
vey the deepest truths concerning himself. Everybody 
knows what bread is. Its nature and its taste, as well 
as our common need of it, are known to all; and it is 
surely characteristic of Christ that he should seek to 
reveal himself in terms easily and commonly appre- 
hensible. He says in effect, ‘ 4 Just as you cannot live 
without bread, so you cannot truly live without me.” 
He is indispensable to us, though often indeed we 
miss him and fail of his grace, just because he does 


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so make himself known to ns in such simple fashion. 
Be assured, however, that there is no greater danger 
than that of despising the commonplace, of despising 
the bread and of turning to the daintier food of the 
world’s provision, which excites an appetite it can 
never satisfy. For if he is indeed the Bread of Life, 
to miss him is to perish. — J. Stuart Holden, The Pre- 
eminent Lord, p. 96. 

The night of betrayal. One could not help wonder- 
ing why this act of betrayal had been selected as the 
time-determining incident of that long and eventful 
night. The writer might rather have set down 4 4 the 
same night in which he washed the disciples’ feet,” 
with the fine suggestion of a moral and spiritual cleans- 
ing before men should eat and drink at the table. He 
might have written ‘ ‘ the same night in which he prayed 
his high priestly prayer,” with its unveiling of what 
communion at its highest should be, and its declara- 
tion of his desire for men’s holiness. He might have 
prefaced the warrant by the words, “the same night 
in which he went into the garden,” with its remem- 
brance of the cost of our redemption to Christ ’s spirit. 
These events mark that night with a greater glory. 
But as these familiar and often read words of our 
text haunt the ear, and the recollection stirs the heart, 
the mind is quickened and the writer’s purpose in 
recording the betrayal is seen. Paul is not setting down 
a date. He is pointing out a pathetic contrast. His 
mind is busy with the suggestions of the contrast be- 
tween the act that founded this feast and the act that 
betrayed its Lord. He is looking into a dark and shame- 
ful deed, and Christ’s act shines out in clearer light. 
He sees the grace of this closing deed of the life of 
J esus to be the more lustrous because of the darkness 


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185 


of his betrayal. — W. M. Clow, The Cross in Christian 
Experience, p. 77-8. 

He took a cup . (Mt. 26:27.) In the romances that 
cluster about the name of King Arthur, his Knights of 
the Rount Table had as the object of their quest the 
cup from which our Lord drank at the Last Supper. 
This cup, called the Holy Grail, was the subject of 
much curious literature in the Middle Ages and there 
are numberless legends concerning it. 

It was affirmed to have been a chalice made in heaven 
from a single emerald and sent down for our Lord’s 
use. Joseph of Arimathea (sometimes called “the 
apostle of the Grail”) was said to have caught in it 
the blood of Jesus, at the Crucifixion, and to have pre- 
served the cup until his own death, when it disap- 
peared. The hope of attaining to sufficient purity of 
life to become custodian of the Holy Grail has fur- 
nished a theme for many poets and romancers. 

The quest for the Grail has been beautifully por- 
trayed by Mr. Edwin A. Abbey in a series of mural 
paintings in the Boston Public Library. 

“My blood of the new covenant ” (Mt. 26:28.) 
The contents of the cup were emblematical of Jesus’ 
blood, his life (Lev. 17:14), shed in behalf of many to 
give them a right to the privileges of the new covenant 
about to be confirmed betwen God and man. The old 
covenant between God and the Hebrews was sealed 
with the sacrificial blood with which Moses sprinkled 
the people. This new covenant, in which the law is 
written in the heart ( Jer. 31 :31-34), is a promise of de- 
liverance from sin for all who partake of the life of 
the crucified Jesus. 

The meaning of the bread and the wine. (Mk. 14: 
22-25.) It was a commemoration of the Lord’s suf- 


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DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


ferings and death. The broken bread was intended 
to keep in perpetual memory the body which was 
broken; the wine poured out to recall to Christian 
hearts throughout all time the blood which was shed.. 

It was a symbol. Here is the explanation of the 
Lord’s own words concerning eating the flesh and 
drinking the blood of the Son of man. Thus are we 
taught and helped to feed on him by faith who is the 
Bread of life. — Pulpit Commentary, Mark, vol. ii, p. 
241. 

The significance of the Lord’s Supper. (Lk 22: 19, 
20.) In studying the true significance of this supper, 
note the following facts; (a) Its simplicity. It is in- 
stituted as the disciples are eating; out of the mater- 
ials of the supper ; without a prescribed form or ritual; 
with no other preparation than love in Christ for his 
disciples, and in the disciples for Christ, (b) Historic- 
ally it is connected with the passover, which pre- 
figured and interprets it. Thus it memorializes our 
deliverance from the bondage of sin by the death of 
Christ, who is our passover (Rom. 8:2; I Cor. 5-7). 
(c) It prophetically points to the future marriage sup- 
per of the Lamb (Mt. 26:29; Mk. 14:25). ( d ) The 

bread and wine enter into and become part of our flesh 
and blood, and so the support of our life. It is Christ 
in us who is the hope of glory, (e) The wheat must 
be bruised and broken, and the grape crushed and 
bleeding, before we can eat the bread or drink the wine. 
It is by the death of Christ that we have life. — Abbott, 
Commentary, Matthew, p. 288. 

In all religious ordinances we ought to try to get 
beneath the phrases we use, and not to rest satisfied 
with the words, however excellent, till we have ascer- 
tained their meaning; that Christ’s words . . . 


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187 


in the appointment of the Last Supper as a permanent 
memorial ordinance are evidently metaphorical; that 
the very strangeness of the metaphor should turn our 
thoughts from the outward form to the inward essence ; 
that the body and flesh signify the personality and 
character of Christ; that we must incorporate in our- 
selves, that is in our moral natures, the substance — 
the moral substance — of the teaching and character of 
Jesus Christ; that this is the only true transubstan- 
tiation; that the blood of Christ is his spirit, the in- 
most essence of his character, the self of his self ; and 
that to drink his blood is to imbibe this inmost spirit ; 
that this spirit is love or charity, which is throughout 
the New Testament represented as the fundamental 
essence of the highest life of God, and therefore of his 
his children. — Stanley, in Abbott’s Commentary, John 
p. 93. 

A service , not a sacrifice . Is not all this conclusive 
as to the character of the Lord’s Supper — that it is a 
fellowship, not a sacrifice, not a worship, save as all 
our love is worship ? 

Should it not make the Lord’s Supper very precious 
to us? It is the satisfaction of his last social desire, 
the comfort of his last earthly fellowship. If he, the 
divine Lord, so desired the fellowship of these poor 
men, how should we desire his — we who have so much 
need of his fulness, his love, and his strengthening, so 
many sins to be forgiven, and sinful feelings to be over- 
come, and sorrows to be soothed, and cold hearts to be 
enkindled? Shall he desire it, and we in careless and 
causeless indifference stay away? Even in his exalted 
blessedness he would have us remember him. He seeks 
our fellowship at this feast. — Henry Allon, The In- 
dwelling Christ, p. 298. 


188 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


The number at the table . 4 Thirteen persons sat down 
at table together that night. This fact has given to 
the number thirteen a superstitious dread among the 
ignorant. Christian people, far from paying heed to 
any lingering fear of that number, should stedfastly 
set themselves to opposing any recognition of foolish 
and harmful superstitions of this kind. 

THE FAREWELL CONVERSATION. 

“Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye 
shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, ‘Whither I 
go, ye cannot come,’ so now I say unto you. A new com- 
mandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even 
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this 
shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love 
one to another.” 

Simon Peter saith unto him, “Lord, whither goest thou?” 

Jesus answered, “Whither I go, thou canst not follow 
me now; but thou shalt follow afterwards.” 

Then saith Jesus unto them, “All ye shall be offended 
in me this night ; for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, 
and the sheep shall be scattered abroad. Howbeit, after 
l am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.” 

But Peter answered and said unto him, “Although all 
shall be offended in thee, I will never be offended. Lord, 
I am ready with thee to go both to prison and to death.” 

And Jesus saith unto him, “Verily I say unto thee, that 
thou today, even this night, before the cock crow twice, 
shalt deny me thrice. Simon, Simon, behold Satan asked 
to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: but I make 
supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not: and do thou, 
when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren.” 

But he spake vehemently, “If I must die with thee, I will 
not deny thee.” And in like manner also said they all. 

And he said unto them, “When I sent you forth without 
purse, and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye anything?” 

And they said, “Nothing.” 

And he said unto, them, “But now, he that hath a purse, 
let him take it, and likewise a wallet; and he that hath 
none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword. For I say 
unto you, that this which is written must be fulfilled in 


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me, ‘And he was reckoned with transgressors’: for that 
which concerneth me hath fulfillment.” 

And they said, “Lord, behold, here are two swords.” 

And he said unto them, “It is enough.” 

“Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe 
also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if 
it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare 
a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, 
I come again, and will receive you unto myself ; that where 
I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go, ye know 
the way.” 

Thomas saith unto him, “Lord, we know not whither 
thou goest ; how know we the way?” 

Jesus saith unto him, “I am the way, and the truth, and 
the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me. If 
ye had known me, ye would have known my Father also: 
from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.” 

Philip saith unto him, “Lord, show us the Father, and 
it sufficeth us.” 

Jesus saith unto him, “Have I been so long time with 
you, and dost thou not know me, Philip? He that hath 
seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, ‘Show 
us the Father?’ Believest thou not that I am in the 
Father, and the Father in me? The words that I say unto 
you I speak not from myself: but the Father abiding in 
me doeth his works. Believe me that I am in the Father, 
and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very 
works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that 
believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also: and 
greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto 
the Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that 
will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 
If ye shall ask anything in my name, that will I do. 
If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments. And I 
will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Com- 
forter, that he may be with you for ever, even the Spirit 
of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth 
him not, neither knoweth him: ye know him, for he abideth 
with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you desolate : 
I come unto you. 

“Yet a little while, and the world beholdeth me no more; 
but ye behold me: because I live, ye shall live also. In 
that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye 
in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, 


190 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that 
loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, 
and will manifest myself unto him.” 

Judas (not Iscariot) saith unto him, “Lord, what is come 
to pass that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not 
unto the world?” 

Jesus answered and said unto him, “If a man love me, 
he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and 
we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 
He that loveth me not keepeth not my words: and the 
word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s who 
sent me. 

“These things have I spoken unto you, while yet abid- 
ing with you. But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, 
whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach 
you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I 
said unto you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give 
unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let 
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. Ye 
heard how I said to you, I go away, and I come unto you. 
If ye loved me, ye would have rejoiced, because I go unto 
the Father : for the Father is greater than I. 

“And now I have told you before it come to pass, 
that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe. I will no 
more speak much with you, for the prince of the world 
cometh: and he hath nothing in me; but that the world 
may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave 
me commandment, even so I do.” 

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it 
away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth 
it, that it may bear more fruit. Already ye are clean 
because of the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide 
in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit 
of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, 
except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches : 
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth 
much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. If a 
man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a brdnch, and is 
withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the 
fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words 
abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done 
unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear 
much fruit; and so shall ye be my disciples. Even as the 


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191 


Father hath loved me, I also have loved you: abide ye in 
my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide 
in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s command- 
ments, and abide in his love. 

“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy 
may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This 
is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I 
have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that 
a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, 
if ye do the things which I command you. No longer do 
I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his 
lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things 
that I heard from my Father I have made known unto you. 
Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed 
you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit 
should abide: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father 
in my name, he may give it you. These things I command 
you, that ye may love one another. If the world hate 
you, ye know that it hath hated me before it hated you. 
If ye were of the world, the world would love its own : but 
because ye are not of the world, but I chose you out of 
the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember 
the word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater 
than his lord. If they persecuted me, they will also perse- 
cute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. 
But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s 
sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had 
not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin. 
but now they have no excuse for their sin. He that hateth 
me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them 
the works which none other did, they had not had sin : but 
now have they both seen and hated me and my Father. 
But this cometh to pass, that the word may be fulfilled 
that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a 
cause/ But when the Comforter is come, whom I will 
send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, 
which proceedeth from the Father, he shall bear witness of 
me: and ye also bear witness, because ye have been with 
me from the beginning. 

“These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should 
not be caused to stumble. They shall put you out of the 
synagogues: yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth 
you shall think that he offereth service unto God. And 
these things will they do, because they have not known 


192 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


the Father, nor me. But these things have I spoken unto 
you, that when their hour is come, ye may remember them, 
how that I told you. And these things I said not unto 
you from the beginning, because I was with you. But 
now I go. unto him that sent me; and none of you asketh 
me, ‘Whither goest thou?’ But because I have spoken 
these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Never- 
theless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I 
go away ; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come 
unto you; but if I go, I will send him unto you. And he, 
when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, 
and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because 
they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go 
to the Father, and ye behold me no more; of judgment, 
because the prince of this world hath been judged. I have 
yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them 
now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he 
shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak 
from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these 
shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things 
that are to come. He shall glorify me : for he shall take of 
mine, and shall declare it unto you. All things whatso- 
ever the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he 
taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto you. A little while, 
and ye behold me no more; and again a little while, and 
ye shall see me.” 

Some of his disciples therefore said one to another, “What 
is this that he saith unto us, ‘A little while, and ye behold 
me not; and again a little while, and ye shall see me’: 
and ‘Because I go to the Father’?” 

They said therefore, “What is this that he saith, ‘A little 
while’? We know not what he saith.” 

Jesus perceived that they were desirous to ask him, and 
he said unto them, “Do ye inquire among yourselves con- 
cerning this, that I said, ‘A little while, and ye behold me 
not, and again a little while, and ye shall see me’? Verily, 
verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but 
the world shall rejoice; ye shall be sorrowful, but your 
sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is 
in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come : but when 
she is delivered of the child she remembereth no more the 
anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. 
And ye therefore now have sorrow, but I will see you again, 
and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh 


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193 


away from you. And in that day ye shall ask me no 
question. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If ye shall ask 
anything of the Father, he will give it you in my name. 
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye 
shall receive, that your joy may be made full. 

“These things have I spoken unto you in dark sayings: 
the hour cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you 
in dark sayings, but shall tell you plainly of the Father. 
In that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto 
you, that I will pray the Father for you; for the Father 
himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have 
believed that I came forth from the Father. I came out 
from the Father, and am come into the world; again, I 
leave the world, and go unto the Father. ,, 

His disciples say, “Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and 
speakest no dark saying. Now know we that thou know- 
est all things, and needest not that any man should ask 
thee : by this we believe that thou earnest forth from God.” 

Jesus answered them, “Do ye now believe? Behold, the 
hour cometh, yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered, every 
man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am 
not alone, because the Father is with me. These things 
have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. 
In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer: 
I have overcome the world.” (His Last Week, p. 31; Mt. 
26:31-35; Mk. 14:27-31; Lk. 22:31-38; Jn. 13:36, 16:33.) 

“I will smite the shepherd.” (Mt. 26:31.) This 
quotation from Zech. 13:7 is not a prophecy of the 
death of Jesus and of the scattering of his disciples, 
but is mentioned because in both cases similar results 
would follow such a relationship between shepherd and 
sheep. 

“Satan ashed to have you” (Lk. 22:31.) This is 
plainly an allusion to the case of Job, whose integrity 
God allowed Satan to test. It should he noted that in 
this verse the “you” in the original Greek is plural, in- 
dicating the sifting of all the disciples, while in the fol- 
lowing verse Jesus speaks of praying for Peter only, 
doubtles because he was most in danger. 


194 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


“Buy a sword.” (Lk. 22:36.) Jesus realized that 
at his death the disciples would meet with conditions 
so changed as to make weapons of defense a necessity. 
Considered as followers of a ‘transgressor/ ’ they 
would encounter marked hostility and their very lives 
would be in danger. Compare John 16:2. 

This is not to be interpreted as meaning that Jesus 
felt that his peaceful mission had been a failure, and 
that only the sword could conquer the world, but rather 
that his disciples in the larger work now before them 
were to prepare for difficulties greater than they had 
hither to encountered. yUp to this time they had gone 
on short journeys, and largely among their personal 
friends ; they now were to be scattered afar, and would 
need greater preparations and precautions. 

“Let not your heart he troubled.” (Jn. 14:1.) Ten- 
derly as Jesus made the announcement of his departure, 
it filled the minds of the disciples with consternation. 
Even the buoyant and hardy Peter felt for the moment 
staggered by the intelligence, and still more by the an- 
nouncement that he was not able to accompany his 
Lord. He was assured that one day he should follow 
him, but at present this was impossible. — Condensed 
from Dods, Expos. Bible, John vol. ii, p. 113. 

“And in me, too, trust.” I would not leave you 
had I not a purpose to serve. It is not to secure my 
own safety or happiness that I go. It is not to occupy 
the sole available room in my Father’s house. There 
are many rooms there, and I go to prepare a place for 
you. The Father’s house was a new figure for heaven. 
It was only when one came who felt that his real home 
was in God that the temple could be called “the Fa- 
ther’s house.” And this is what we have to look for- 
ward to — living in the constant enjoyment of a Fa- 


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195 


ther’s love, feeling ourselves more truly at home with 
him than with any one else, delighting in the per- 
fectness of his sympathy and the abundance of his 
provision. — Dods, Expos. Bible, John, vol. ii, p. 116. 
116. 

“Many mansions.” (Jn. 14:2.) Not then a vast 
multitude in an open space — worshippers in a crowd- 
ed temple. “A multitude that no man can number,” 
but in “many mansions’ ’ — a vast house of many rooms 
in which are private fellowships as well as public serv- 
ices. 

Not a monotonous uniformity, even of goodness ; but 
a world of infinite variety, where different types of 
character, of sympathy, of pursuit have fullest develop- 
ment. Can we conceive of character in heaven as less 
individualized than here? Will not all relationships of 
life, all forms and preferences of pure affection, all 
varieties of pursuit be perfected there? Each in his 
own place and of his own company ; different degrees of 
holiness and intelligence ; a divine harmony rather than 
a uniformity. “One star differeth from another star 
in glory.” “Diversities of operation, but one Spirit.” 

And yet a perfect unity, as of a family. “Many 
mansions,” but one Father’s house — all gathering 
round the great hearth of God. — Henry Allon, The 
Indwelling Christ, p. 330. 

“If it were not so I would have told you.” ( Jn. 14 :2.) 
It is a parenthesis of singular significance and empha- 
sis, full of human considerateness and tenderness. 
It is a measure of the greatness of the revelation which 
he was making to them. He would not trifle with this 
great human hope of immortality. Had there been no 
such satisfaction for it he would have told them. It 
was impossible for him to deceive them with a false 


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or uncertain hope, or to permit them to be deceived. 
He came to teach them about spiritual realities, and 
this was one of them. 

It is a simple parenthesis in the midst of one of his 
greatest teachings, but it seems more than the most 
elaborate argument. He is speaking about the future 
life as the hope and consolation of those whom death 
bereaves, and he affirms concerning it some very def- 
inite things — things which are a clear addition to hu- 
man knowledge about it. And the manner of his af- 
firmation is as remarkable as its matter. He calmly 
assumes his own certain knowledge about it. He is 
not an enquirer about the unseen world. He does 
not, like Plato, rest his teachings upon reasonings and 
probabilities. He speaks with absolute certainty. 
Clearly he believed himself to have certain knowledge. 
— Henry Allon, The Indwelling Christ. 

“1 go away to prepare a place for you.” ( Jn. 14 :2.) 
And the very naming of this is a proof of Christ ’s con- 
siderateness. The burning question with every man 
who thought about his life in those days was, whither 
is this life leading? The present, alas ! was dim and in- 
scrutable enough, but the future was a fearful and un- 
solved mystery. So Christ put that right before he 
went away. He gave this unknown future form and 
color. He told us — and it is only because we are so 
accustomed to it that we do not wonder more at the 
magnificence of the conception — that when our place 
in this world should know us no more there would be 
another place ready for us. We do not know much 
about that place, but the best thing we do know, that 
he prepares it. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor 
hath it entered into the heart of man what the Lord 
went away to prepare for them that love him. It is 


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better to think of this, to let our thoughts rest on this, 
that he prepares it, than to fancy details of our own. — 
Henry Drummond, The Ideal Life, pp. 68-9. 

The place prepared for us. How hideous, I might 
almost say, was heaven as it used to be interpreted to 
my childish imagination. It was a prison. It was built, 
to be sure, of beautiful things ; but a prison is a prison 
though it be built of alabaster, or silver, or gold. It 
was a place devoid of the freedom and the enjoyments 
of home. It was wanting in those elements which make 
life joyous and happy. And if heaven be a place of 
propriety; if it be a place in which everybody is reg- 
imented; if it be a place where, at stated times, we 
shall turn and bow one way, and then turn and bow 
the other way, and say our prayers, and repeat our 
hymns— if that be heaven, it is a mechanical heaven ; it 
is an automaton’s heaven; it is a machine-heaven; it 
is a mechanician’s heaven, and a poor one at that. But 
to me heaven is not such a place. I gather, to repre- 
sent my heaven, whatever there is that is most re- 
splendent on earth. When I paint my picture of heav- 
en, I borrow from the clouds ; I borrow from the morn- 
ing and the evening; I borrow from the severe gran- 
deur of the winter, and the luscious luxuriance of sum- 
mer. When I portray my heaven, and its population, 
I take whatever on earth is most lithe, most bewitch- 
ing, most genial, and sweetest in nature and society. 
I select for my sitters those that are the noblest- 
browed ; those that I would go farthest to see ; those 
that incite in me the most wonder and rapture. . I get 
together all these treasures, and with them I depict my 
heaven. — H. W. Beecher. 

Questions by Thomas and Philip. (Jn. 14:5-11.) He 
had spoken of the Father’s house, but only one road 


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led thither. They must all know it; it was that of 
personal apprehension of Christ in the life, the mind, 
and the heart. The way to the Father was Christ ; the 
full manifestation of all spiritual truth and the spring 
of the true inner life were equally in him. Except 
through him, no man could consciously come to the 
Father. Thomas had put his twofold question thus: 
What was the goal! and, what was the way to it! In 
his answer Christ significantly reversed this order, and 
told them first what way was the way — himself; and 
then what was the goal. If they had spiritually known 
him as the way, they would also have known the goal, 
the Father ; and now, by having the way clearly point- 
ed out, they must also know the goal, God; nay, he 
was, so to speak, visibly before them — and, gazing on 
him, they saw the shining track up to heaven, the 
J acob ’s ladder at the top of which was the Father. 

But once more appeared in the words of Philip that 
carnal literalizing, which would take the words of 
Christ in only an external sense. Sayings like these 
help us to perceive the absolute need of another teach- 
er, the Holy Spirit. 

“How know we the way?” (Jn. 14:4.) This ques- 
tion, with its introductory assertion of ignorance as 
to Jesus’ destination, again proves the quality of the 
mind of Thomas. He seems to have lived in a per- 
petual state of perplexity — ofttimes, despondency — • 
yet ever eager to be convinced of the truth. 

Philip saith, “show us the Father ” (Jn. 14:8.) 
Philip, one of the twelve apostles, was the first to 
receive a direct call from Jesus to join that company, 
although a few other followers had previously at- 
tached themselves to the Master. He was a native of 
Bethsaida, in Galilee, a fellow-townsman of Andrew 


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199 


and Peter, and with them had probably been a disciple 
of John the Baptist. Immediately after his call it 
was his privilege to introduce Nathanael to Jesus, and, 
on Passion Week, to do the same for certain Greek 
proselytes who desired to make Jesus’ acquaintance. 

Although naturally a man of truly religious nature 
and lofty aspirations, he seems to have been dull in 
apprehending spiritual things. After several years’ 
companionship with Jesus he had not come to realize 
the fullness of his Master’s divinity, else he would 
not have requested, like Moses of old (Ex. 33:18), that 
he might see God. 

After this incident recorded in John 14:8, nothing 
absolutely definite is known about Philip’s life. In 
the writings of the early Christian Church he is fre- 
quently confused with Philip the Evangelist. Tradi- 
tion states that he traveled extensively in Europe and 
Asia, while engaged in apostolic labors. Polycrates 
speaks of Philip, “one of the twelve,” as one of the 
“great lights of Asia,” and says that he was buried at 
Hierapolis, in Phrygia, along with his two aged virgin 
daughters. Several other early Christian writers con- 
firm this statement and their testimony is strengthened 
by the discovery at Hierapolis of an inscription show- 
ing that the church there was dedicated to the memory 
of “the holy and glorious apostle and theologian Phil- 
ip.” 

“I go unto the Father.” (Jn. 14:12.) Life has been 
defined as a going to the Father. It is quite clear that 
there must come a time in the history of all those who 
live this life when they reach the Father. This is the 
most glorious moment of life. Angels attend at it. 
Those on the other side must hail the completing of an- 
other soul with ineffable rapture. When they are yet a 


200 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


great way off, the Father runs and falls on their neck 
and kisses them. 

On this side we call that Death. It means reaching 
the Father. It is not departure, it is arrival ; not sleep, 
but waking. For life to those who live like Christ is not 
a funeral procession. It is a triumphal march to the 
Father. And the entry at the last in God’s own chari- 
ot in the last hour of all. No, as we watch a life which 
is going to the Father, we cannot think of night, of 
gloom, of dusk and sunset. It is life which is the 
night, and Death is sunrise. — Henry Drummond, The 
Ideal Life, p. 93. 

“Because I go unto the Father (Jn. 14:12.) It 
would seem that the departure of the Master would 
be the end of the kingdom which he had sought to es- 
tablish. But he had no doubt that the work he had be- 
gun would be enlarged. He gave to the disciples the 
amazing promise, “He that believeth on me, the works 
that I do shall he do also ; and greater works than these 
shall he do ; because I go unto the Father. ” And more 
amazing, the event justified his words. The world saw 
a new experience: the conversion of men. There had 
never been anything like it. The heathen came out of 
darkness into a marvellous light. From the slave popu- 
lations of Antioch, Corinth, Rome, came new men and 
women in Christ Jesus. A new moral power swept the 
world. It is the standing miracle of history. And the 
miracle has been repeated before our eyes. The world, 
the flesh and the devil would overcome men, but a great- 
er power is here. The weak and sinful live new lives 
in Christ; the ignorant, who have grown up without 
hope and without God in the world, are lighted with a 
blessed hope and rejoice in a divine salvation; savages 
in the hills of Asia and in the islands of the Pacific are 


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201 


transformed; and greater than all, our children, ten 
thousands and thousands, grow up as disciples of Jesus 
and come simply, beautifully to God by him. — The 
Week of our Lord’s Passion, p. 116. 

“Another Comforter.” (Jn. 14:16.) It is difficult 
to render into English the Greek word Paraclete which 
in John’s gospel is translated “Comforter,” as we 
have no single word which entirely covers its meaning. 
“Advocate,” “Helper” an^d “Consoler” have been 
used and each expresses a portion of the original 
meaning. It may be well to follow a goodly number 
of modern scholars who make use of the word “Para- 
clete, ’ ’ a transliteration of the Greek word itself, which 
in its primary meaning gives the idea of a person 
“called to one’s side” for aid, especially against an 
accuser or judge. But, whether “Comforter” or some 
other word is used, reference is made by Jesus to the 
Holy Spirit, or Spirit of Truth, who was to be sent 
as a guide to the disciples after his departure. It was 
promised them that this substitute should remain with 
them always, to reveal and complete the work of Jesus 
and to be to them even more than he had been in 
the flesh. 

Judas (not Iscariot). (Jn. 14:22.) That this 
Judas was one of the twelve apostles is evident; other- 
wise, he would not have been in that little company 
with whom Jesus ate the farewell supper. A careful 
comparison of Mt. 10 :3, Mk. 3 :18, Lk. 6 :16 and Acts 
1 :13 shows that he is variously referred to as Lebbseus, 
Thaddaeus (his surname) and Judas, brother or son 
(Revised Version) of James. He is not to be identified 
with one of the brothers of Jesus, nor with the author 
of the Epistle of Jude. 

“Greater works than these shall ye do.” (Jn. 14:12.) 


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There is no reference to healing by means of Peter’s 
shadow (Acts 5:15) or of handkerchiefs that had 
touched Paul (Acts 19:12). Even from a human point 
of view no miracle wrought by an Apostle is greater 
than the raising of Lazarus. But from a spiritual 
point of view no such comparisons are admissible ; to 
Omnipotence all works are alike. These “greater 
works” refer rather to the results of Pentecost; the 
victory over Judaism and Paganism, two powers which 
for the moment were victorious over Christ (Lk.22 :53). 
Christ’s work was confined to Palestine and had but 
small success ; the Apostles went everywhere, and con- 
verted thousands. . . . The reason is two-fold: 

(1) He will have left the earth and be unable to con- 
tinue these works; therefore believers must continue 
them for him; (2) He will be in heaven ready to help 
both directly and by intercession; therefore believers 
will be able to continue these works and surpass them. 
— Plummer, Cambridge Bible, John, p. 278. 

“ Even the Spirit of truth.” (Jn. 14:16.) What Je- 
sus said of his successor, the Spirit, the Spirit of truth, 
the Holy Spirit, or the Paraclete , he said in the closing 
hours. His own vital relation to his disciples was to be 
continued through the agency of this successor. When 
the Spirit comes to the disciples and abides i nthem, it 
is as though J esus himself abode in them. The Spirit 
is his alter ego. Thus, when looking forward to the 
coming of the Spirit, he says, “I will come to you” 
(Jn. 14:18), and when manifestly thinking of the fel- 
lowship of the Spirit, he says, “He that loveth me shall 
be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will man- 
ifest myself to him.” (Jn. 14:21). The Spirit will con- 
tinue to do for the disciples what Jesus has done. He 
will teach them, and in this will sustain the same re- 


THE STORY OF THURSDAY 


203 


lation to Christ that Christ in his teaching has sus- 
tained to the Father (Jn. 14:26; 16:13, 14; 17:4). He 
does not speak of himself, but speaks what he hears. 
His work is most comprehensively described when he 
is spoken of by the side of Jesus as another Paraclete 
(Jn. 14:16). That is, Jesus thought the mission of the 
Spirit essentially the same as his own. He has been a 
helper, a Paraclete , and now the spirit will take his 
place with them, and be their helper as variously as 
Jesus himself had ever been, though not necessarily 
in the same ways. This language of course implies 
the personality of the Spirit, and also inplies that he 
has essentially the same character as J esus — the same 
love for the disciples, the same purpose, the same un- 
derstanding of their needs, and the same ability to 
help them. 

These words of Jesus regarding a spiritual succes- 
sor, sent from the Father but sent through him as the 
channel (Jn. 14:16; 15:26), plainly transcend human 
knowledge. His conviction that his successor would 
carry on his work even better than he could do if pres- 
ent in the flesh (Jn. 16:7), accounts for the serenity of 
his mind and heart in view of ‘his violent separation 
from his disciples, and in view of the terrible sorrow 
and disappointment which would for a time be theirs. — 
Gilbert, Student’s Life of Jesus, pp. 352-354. 

“He shall not speak from himself.” (Jn. 16:13.) 
I take the meaning of the passage to be that, when re- 
ligion in the soul is perfected, it will not have a voice 
separate from other things, but will blend with all the 
voices of nature. In the early stages religion is apart 
from other things. We distinguish, in those days, be- 
tween nature and grace, secular and sacred, world and 
church, week-day and sabbath. But our Lord says 


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DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


there is a time coming when we shall think differently. 
He says there is a time coming when the voice of God 
shall not speak “from itself/ ’ but shall send its mes- 
sage through secular voices. There is a time coming 
when the services of religion shall not be limited to the 
sanctuary, when piety shall not be confined to prayer, 
when psalmody shall not be monopolised by the psal- 
ter. There is a time coming when the voice of the 
Spirit shall call from the windows of man's house. It 
shall call from the scenes of nature ; it shall call from 
the heights of poetry; it shall call from the galleries 
of art. It shall speak from the crowded marketplace ; 
it shall speak from the seat of custom, and from the 
wheels of traffic. It shall sound from the haunts of 
pleasure; from the dance and the music; from the 
holiday and the feast. No spot shall be without an al- 
tar, no scene shall escape a sacrifice; for the cross that 
once was planted only at Jerusalem shall be carried 
to Cana of Galilee. Hasten that time, 0 Lord — the 
time when all things shall carry thy message! — Geo. 
Matheson, Times of Retirement, pp. 231-232. 

The promise of the Holy Spirit. ( Jn. chs. 14-16.) On 
that last evening, when his work was drawing to its 
close, he tells his disciples of the heavy sorrows and 
afflictions which were hanging over them. 

His purpose, in speaking to his disciples of these 
sufferings was, that they should not be startled, so as 
to lose their hold of the truth, but should remember 
how he had told them of everything beforehand, and 
thus even in their sufferings should find fresh proofs 
of his divine wisdom and knowledge. That they might 
be of good cheer when danger was gathering round 
them, he speaks to them again and again of a great 
consolation and blessing which they were to receive, 


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205 


of a comforter, another comforter , whom the Father 
would give to them, and who would abide with them 
forever. — Hare, The Mission of the Comforter, pp. 2, 3. 

The promise concerning the Comforter. ( Jn. 14 :26.) 
The Spirit will do two things : teach everything ; bring 
to remembrance everything which Jesus has taught. 
These two functions are closely connected; he will 
teach the new by recalling the old, and will recall the 
old by teaching the new. The words of Jesus, the re- 
membrance of which the Spirit will awaken in them, 
will be the matter from which he will derive the teach- 
ing of the complete truth, the germ which he will 
fertilize in their hearts, as in return, this internal ac- 
tivity of the Spirit will unceasingly recall to their mem- 
ory some former word of Jesus, so that in propor- 
tion as he shall illuminate them, they will cry out: 
“Now I understand this word of the Master !” And 
this vivid clearness will cause other words long for- 
gotten to come forth from forgetfulness. Such is, even 
at this day, the relation between the teaching of the 
written word and that of the Spirit. — Godet, Commen- 
tary, John, vol. ii, p. 287. 

The vine and the branches. (Jn. 15:1-8.) The vine 
is an emblem of Christ, especially as the source of spir- 
itual life. He is the divinely appointed root and stem 
upon which the branches depend; the superior with 
which they, the inferior, are related in dependence. 
The vine-stock survives even if the branch be cut off 
and left to die. We are dependent upon Christ; he 
is not dependent upon us. A close and vital union joins 
the branches to the vine, and Christians to their Lord. 
The life which is naturally Christ's becomes ours 
through our union by faith with him.— Pulpit Com- 
mentary, John, vol. ii, p. 279. 


206 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


The unfruitful branch . (Jn. 15:2.) The reference 
to the unfruitful branch that is cast forth is perhaps 
suggested by the case of Judas. Jesus afterwards (vs. 
9-17) expounds it in plainer terms, speaking of abiding 
in his love (interpreting the abiding of the vine in the 
branch), keeping his commandments, loving one an- 
other. Thus fellowship becomes, not mere service, but 
intimate and mutual friendship (vs. 15), the disciples 
enjoying the confidence of the Master, with joy doing 
his will, and all bound together by the mutual love 
that springs from their common relation to him. — 
Burton and Mathews, Life of Christ, p. 251. 

“The joy that a man is born into the world.” (Jn. 
15:9-12.) Love is the true bond which gives unity 
to the moral world, and inspires discipleship. All that 
Christ experiences is the result of the Father’s love; 
all that the disciples are called to be and to do is the 
outcome of Christ’s love. This love of Christ was to be 
retained as their possession by their conforming them- 
selves to it. 

In his love for them they were to find the spring of 
love to one another, and were to become transparencies 
through which his love would shine. — Condensed from 
Dods, Expositor’s Greek Testament, John, p. 831. 

“The joy that a man is born into the world ” (Jn. 
16:21.) Many a night people are startled from their 
sleep by the shouts of joy in which men and women 
join and proclaim to the neighbors and the world from 
house tops and which is emphasized by the firing of 
guns, and all because a baby boy is born, and the moth- 
er feels more than compensated, and the occasion is 
the triumphant moment in her life. In some cases the 
tops of the neighboring hills are illuminated because 
a man child is born. The village children of both sexes 


THE STOEY OF THURSDAY 


207 


rush to the happy home and put forth their hands and 
laps, which members of the happy family fill with 
sweets, and during the following days the friendly 
townspeople come to the mother with blessings in their 
hands, which include useful gifts of many sorts, testi- 
fying that they share in the joy. — Mrs. Ghosn-el-Howie, 
in S. S. Times. 

€t I have overcome the world ” (Jn. 16:33.) On the 
ground of this conquest of his he bids his followers re- 
joice and take heart, as if somehow his conquest of the 
world guaranteed theirs, and as if their conflict would 
be easier on account of his. And so indeed it is. Not 
only has every one now who proposes to live for high 
and unworldly ends the satisfaction of knowing that 
such a life is possible, and not only has he the vast en- 
couragement of knowing that One has passed this way 
before and attained his end; but, moreover, it is 
Christ’s victory which has really overcome the world 
in a final and public way. — Dods, Expos. Bible, John, 
p. 241. 

THE INTERCESSORY PRAYER. 

These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to 
heaven, he said, “Father, the hour is come; glorify thy 
Son, that the Son may glorify thee: even as thou gavest 
him authority over all flesh, that to all whom thou hast 
given him, he should give eternal life. And this is life 
eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, 
and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ. I 
glorified thee on the earth, having accomplished the work 
which thou gavest me I have given unto them; and they 
thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had 
with thee before the world was. I manifested thy name 
unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world: 
thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; and they 
have kept thy word. Now they know that all things what- 
soever thou hast given me are from thee: for the words 
which thou hast given me to do. And now, Father, glorify 


208 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


received them, and knew of a truth that I came forth from 
thee, and they believed that thou didst send me. I pray 
for them: I pray not for the world, but for those whom 
thou hast given me; for they are thine: and all things 
that are mine are thine, and thine are mine: and I am 
glorified in them. And I am no more in the world, and 
these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, 
keep them in thy name which thou hast given me, that 
they may be one, even as we are. While I was with them, 
I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me; and 
I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the 
son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. But 
now I come to thee ; and these things I speak in the world, 
that they may have my joy made full in themselves. I 
have given them thy word, and the world hated them, 
because they are not of the world, even as I am not of 
the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them from 
the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the 
evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of 
the world. Sanctify them in the truth : thy word is truth. 
As thou didst send me into the world, even so sent I them 
into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that 
they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. Neither 
for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on 
me through their word; that they may all be one; even 
as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also 
may be in us: that the world may believe that thou didst 
send me. And the glory which thou hast given me I have 
given unto them; that they may be one, even as we are 
one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be per- 
fected into one; that the world may know that thou didst 
send me, and lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me. 
Father, I desire that they also whom thou hast given me 
be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, 
which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before 
the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world 
knew thee not, but I knew thee ; and these knew that thou 
didst send me; and I made known unto them thy name, 
and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou 
lovedst me may be in them, and I in them.” 

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into 
the mount of Olives. (His Last Week, p. 38; Jn. 17:1-26.) 


“ Glorify thy Son.” (Pa. 17:1.) He looked to the 


THE STORY OF THURSDAY 


209 


Father for his own glorification, and for the preserva- 
tion, sanctification, union, success, and glory of his dis- 
ciples. 

At the same time by the side of this true sense of 
dependence, there are here, as in the eighth chapter of 
John, intimations of a conviction that he had had a 
personal existence with the Father before the founda- 
tion of the world (vs. 5, 24). 

Again, these closing words show that Jesus had what 
no other man ever had, the consciousness of having 
perfectly accomplished the work which the Father had 
given him to do (v. 4) ; and this work which he had 
perfectly accomplished was the most sublime and most 
difficult of which we can conceive. It was nothing less 
than manifesting the character of God to men (v. 6), 
and giving to his disciples a new and eternal life (v. 2). 
— Gilbert, Students Life of Jesus, pp. 350, 351. 

“I jpray. for them.” (Jn. 17:9.) The tenderness 
and generosity of his love for them are manifest again 
and again. He wishes them to share not only in his 
work, but to share equally with him in the Father’s 
love, and to share in his own glory (Jn. 14:21, 23, 24; 
17 :23, 24, 26). He sees an earthly glorification of him- 
self in his disciples (17 :10). They are not his servants 
but his friends (15:15). He has taken them into his 
confidence and told them all that he knows of the Fa- 
ther. On them rests the same honor that rests on him, 
for he declares that they are sent into the world even 
as he had been sent (17 :18). They are capable of be- 
coming one, even as he and the Father are one (vs. 
20-23). They are loved of the Father, even as he 
himself is (v. 23), and Christ’s future aim is that the 
Father’s live may be in them (v. 26). Thus through 


210 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


these closing words of Jesus runs a love for his dis- 
ciples that is full of divine tenderness and magnanim- 
ity. — Gilbert, Student’s Life of Jesus, pp. 351, 352. 

The victory of the Son of man over sorrow. Joy 
and suffering are closely related in the ministry of 
Jesus. The keynote of his conversation with his dis- 
ciples that evening in the Upper Room before the agony 
in the garden was joy (Jn. 15:11; 16:22, 24; 17:13). 
Close to his abandonment of grief when he was looking 
on Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives (Lk. 19:41- 
44), was his exultation over the visit of some Greeks 
who sought him in the temple. The suffering of Jesus 
was because of the sins of men and the destruction 
which they brought on themselves. He could not have 
realized his mission to redeem mankind without intense 
pain because they rejected and wrought against the will 
of God, and absorbing sympathy with them in their suf- 
fering. But his suffering was transfigured by his abso- 
lute conviction that they would be delivered from the 
power of evil through his mission which was ending in 
death (Heb. 12:2). To comprehend this confidence 
of J esus in the ultimate triumph of love and righteous- 
ness through his self-sacrifice, and to share it, is to 
know the secret of inward peace in the midst of trials. 
— A. E. Dunning, D. D. in S. S, Times. 

The victory within the soul of Jesus. It is one thing 
to have the consciousness of so high a calling, another 
to maintain and give effect to it under conditions from 
which all that is ideal and divine seems to have with- 
drawn. It is one thing not to count one’s life dear, or 
to make much of it, in comparison with great ends 
which are to be attained by laying it down; it is an- 
other to lay it down, encompassed not by the gratitude 
and adoration of those for whom the sacrifice is made, 


THE STORY OF THURSDAY 


211 


but by mocking and spitting and scorn. This was what 
Jesus did, and he attained to it through the agony in 
the garden. The agony does not represent a doubt 
as to his calling, but the victorious assertion of his 
calling against the dreadful temptation to renounce it, 
which came in the hour and with the power of darkness. 
— James Denney, The Death of Christ, p. 62. 

Sung a hymn . (Mt. 26:30.) Among the Jews 
the recitation of Psalms 113-118 was an essential part 
of the family service on the night when they ate their 
Passover meal. The first two psalms of the group were 
sung before eating and the remainder at the close of 
the meal. Unquestioningly, then, Psalms 115-118 con- 
stituted the ‘ 4 hymn’ sung by our Saviour and his dis- 
ciples at the close of their farewell supper. This whole 
group of psalms was called the “Hallel” (lit. 
“praise”) and was considered as a single composition. 
It evidently was written to be sung publicly on some 
day of thanksgiving and was used by the J ews at their 
three great religious feasts. The name “great Hallel” 
was sometimes given to this group, but it is usually 
given to Psalms 120-136, while Psalms 115-118 are 
called the “Egyptian” or “common” Hallel. 


Gbe Stor? ot Jfribap. 

BprU 7, 30 B. 2). 

Jesus and his disciples remained in the Upper 
Room until after midnight. They then walked forth 
under the full moon, through the city streets and across 
the valley of the brook Kidron, to a garden called 
Gethsemane. It was a place which Jesus was accus- 
tomed to visit, and one in which Judas felt certain he 
would be found. The garden, or orchard, was on the 
slope of the Mount of Olives eastward from Jerusalem. 
Here Jesus left seven of his disciples on guard near 
the gate, while he and Peter, James and John went 
farther in. At some distance from the entrance he 
^ left the three, and proceeded into the remoter parts of 
the garden alone. Here he spent some time in agoniz- 
ing prayer. His disciples, overcome with weariness, 
fell asleep on guard. Jesus repeatedly came back to 
where they were, and each time found them sleeping. 

Here he was arrested by a band of soldiers, under 
orders from the authorities of the temple, who were 
conducted to the spot by J udas, the betrayer. The dis- 
ciples all forsook him and fled. He was then taken 
into the city, first to Annas, the former high priest, and 
the father-in-law of Caiaphas, by whom he was infor- 
mally examined. He was then sent on to Caiaphas, the 
high-priest, who, with a part of the Sanhedrin, be- 
fore day-break, made a preliminary examination. Aft- 
er day-break a formal trial was held before the whole 
Sanhedrin, which by that time was assembled. Thus 
there were three steps in the ecclesiastical trial. 

He was accused of blasphemy, and condemned by the 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


213 


Sanhedrin as worthy of death, bnt the authority to 
execute the death penalty resided in the civil court 
alone. 

He was therefore taken by the priests, followed by 
a multitude, and hurried to the residence of Pontius 
Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate attempted to evade 
his responsibility, and sent him to Herod, by whom he 
was returned to Pilate, and by him sentenced to death 
on the charge of exciting the people into insurrection 
against Rome. The soldiers led him away, followed 
by a great multitude. He bore the cross for himself 
at first, but evidently falling under the load, one Simon 
of Cyrene was compelled to relieve him. He was cruci- 
fied at a spot called Golgotha, outside the city. 

About three o’clock he “gave up the ghost.” Toward 
evening a company of disciples, headed by Joseph of 
Arimathsea, and accompanied by Nicodemus, obtain- 
ing permission from Pilate, took down his body and 
placed it in a tomb. 

Friday is thus the day of agonizing prayer, of be- 
trayal, of trial, of suffering, of death, and its close 
finds our Lord lying in the tomb. While the whole 
week is the week of the passion, Friday is pre-eminent- 
ly the day of the passion. It has given that day a 
suggestion of horror and that ever since has attached 
to that day of the week. 

THE AGONY IN GETHSEMANE. 

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with 
his disciples over the brook Kidron, where was a garden. 

And they come unto a place which was named Geth- 
semane : and he saith unto his disciples, “Sit ye here while 
I go yonder and pray.” 

And he taketh with him Peter and James and John and 
began to be greatly amazed, and sore troubled. And he 
saith unto them, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even 
unto death : abide ye here, and watch.” 


214 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


And he went forward a little, and fell on his face on the 
ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might 
pass away from him. 

And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto 
thee; remove this cup from me: howbeit not what I will, 
but what thou wilt.” 

And there appeared unto him an angel from heaven, 
strengthening him. 

And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly; and 
his sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling 
down upon the ground. 

And when he rose up from his prayer, he came unto 
the disciples, and found them sleeping for sorrow, and said 
unto Peter, “Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest thou not 
watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter 
not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the 
flesh is weak.” 

Again a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, 
“My Father, if this cannot pass away, except I drink it, 
thy will be done.” 

And he came again and found them sleeping, for their 
eyes were heavy. And he left them again, and went away, 
and prayed a third time, saying the same words. 

Then cometh he to the disciples the third time, and saith 
unto them, “Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the 
hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the 
hands of sinners. 

“Arise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that be- 
trayeth me.” (His Last Week, pp. 40-41; Mt. 26:36-46; 
Mk. 14:26, 32-42; Lk. 22:39-46; Jn. 18:1.) 

Re went, as his custom was, unto the Mount of 
Olives. (Lk. 22:39.) The scene was one of those sa- 
cred things in a man’s life, in which his best instincts 
bid him be alone. The other cases in our Lord’s life, 
of which we are told, were the temptation, the raising 
of the daughter of Jairus, and the transfiguration. 
Peter, James, and John were taken nearer to the 
scenes of his soul’s wrestling with impending fate, but 
even they were to remain outside, and watch. It is 
possible to take the request to watch in a merely ex- 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


215 


ternal sense. He knew that his enemies were at hand, 
and he might want some one to be on the watch for 
them. But it seems more probable that he wanted 
them to watch with him, to share his vigil, not against 
human foes, but against the flood of woes overwhelming 



THE JOURNEY OF FRIDAY 


his soul. — Gould, Internat. Crit. Com., Mark, pp. 
268, 269. 

There was a garden . (Jn. 18:1, 2.) Gethsemane is 
given in Mt. 26 :36 and Mk. 14 :32 as the name of the 
place to which Jesus retired with the disciples after the 



216 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


Last Supper. In both passages it is called chorion . 
What is meant is a piece of ground enclosed by a wall 
or fence of some sort. Jn. 18 :1 calls it a garden. Pos- 
sibly it belonged to owners who willingly afforded ac- 
cess to J esus ; at all events, he was in the habit of re- 
sorting to it (Lk. 21:37; 22:39), and the habit was 
known to Judas Iscariot. Doubtless the enclosure con- 
tained a press, perhaps also a house in which the other 
disciples, apart from Peter, James, and John, may 
have sheltered. 

We know that Gethsemane was situated (Jn. 18:1) 
to the east of Kidron and was regarded as belonging to 
the Mount of Olives (Lk. 22:39). Thus we have to 
think of J esus as quitting the town by one of the gates 
of the eastern wall, descending into the Kidron val- 
ley, crossing the bed of the brook, and reascending on 
the other side. It is at Gethsemane that the touching 
scenes recorded by the evangelists are placed — the 
agony and prayers of Jesus, the sleep of the apostles, 
the arrival of Judas and his train, the arrest; the New 
Testament does not enable us to fix the site more ex- 
actly. 

Tradition became more precise. From the fourth 
century onwards, perhaps from the time of the visit of 
the empress Helena, the garden of Gethsemane has 
been shown at the foot of the Mount of Olives on the 
left bank of the Kidron, some fifty yards from the pres- 
ent bridge. 

It contains eight old olive trees which pilgrimsi 
willingly believe to date from the time of Christ, or at 
least to come from trees of that date. On the other 
hand, it has to be remarked not only that olives are not 
in the habit of attaining so great an age, but also that, 
according to Josephus, all the trees about Jerusalem 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


217 


were cut down by the army of Titus at the time of the 
siege. 

The authenticity of the site, then, is not demonstra- 
ble; but neither is it utterly improbable. — Encyc. Bib- 
lica, vol. ii, cols. 1712, 1713. 

“Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder.” (Mt. 
26:36.) It is a hard thing to be kept in the back- 
ground at a time of crisis. In the Garden of Geth- 
semane eight of the eleven disciples were left to do 
nothing. Jesus went to the front to pray; Peter, 
J ames, and J ohn went to the middle to watch ; the rest 
sat down in the rear to wait. Methinks that party in 
the rear must have murmured. They were in the gar- 
den, but that was all ; they had no share in the cultiva- 
tion of its flowers. It was a time of crisis, a time of 
storm and stress; and yet they were not suffered to 
work. You and I have often felt that experience, that 
disappointment. — Geo. Matheson, Times of Retirement, 

p. 110. 

“ Watch ivith me.” (Mt. 26:38.) He must face that 
hour alone ; no human eye must witness, except through 
the twilight and shadow, the depth of his suffering. 
Yet he would have gladly shared the sympathy of the 
disciples; it helped him in this hour of darkness to 
feel that they were near, and that those were nearest 
who loved him best. Reluctantly he tore himself away 
from their sustaining tenderness and devotion, and 
retired yet further, perhaps out of the moonlight into 
the shadow. And there, until slumber overpowered 
them, they were conscious how dreadful was that 
paroxysm of prayer and suffering through which he 
passed. — Farrar, Life of Christ, ch. 57. 

Christ shrinking from the Cross. The simple figure 
in these words "Let this cup pass from me” makes 


218 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


an instant appeal. We see a cup filled with a bitter 
mixture proffered to a child. The child hesitates to 
take it and lift it to his lips. He shrinks from the 
nauseous draught with a deep and instinctive distaste. 
But at the bidding of his father he masters himself and 
drains the cup. So Christ shrank from his cross, and 
yet accepted it in a meek obedience to his Father’s will. 

Christ never looked out towards his cross without 
reluctance and a hush falling upon his spirit. His 
life had certain summit levels on the way to Calvary. 
As often as he reached one of these heights he saw the 
Cross as the close and consummation of his ministry. 
Its form may not have been clear, but the fact of a 
final sacrifice was one of the certainties in his vision. 
In his temptation in the wilderness; at the marriage 
of Cana of Galilee, when his mother spoke to him and 
stirred him to think of his “hour”; when the multitude 
would have made him a king ; on the Mount of Trans- 
figuration; when the Greeks sought to see him; when 
the mother of Zebedee’s children came craving high 
place for James and John, Jesus foresaw his cross. 
With the prevision of it there came a shrinking from 
it. It was the feared hour of his life, the baptism of 
his sorrow, the cup of his agony. Here, on the night 
before his passion, he sees the Cross etched against 
the evening light, and his shrinking from it trembles 
on the verge of denial. About nothing else in God’s 
will for him did he pray, “0 my Father, if it be pos- 
sible, let this cup pass from me.” — W. M. Clow, The 
Cross in Christian Experience, pp. 65-6. 

The agony in the garden. The fullest allowance 
for the shrinking of the most delicately constituted 
nature from the pain and death completely fails to ac- 
count for this dread of Jesus. He was no coward, 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


219 


drawing back from sufferings which, for simple phy- 
sical pain, were over and over again more than matched 
by many of the martyrs to truth who preceded and 
followed him. He himself declared to the sons of 
Zebedee that they should share a cup in kind like unto 
his, suffering for the kingdom of Grod, for the salva- 
tion of the world. Yet there is a difference evident 
between what others have had to bear and the cup 
from which Jesus shrank. The death which now stood 
before him in the path of obedience had in it a bitter- 
ness quite unexpected by the pain and disappointment 
it entailed. That excess of bitterness can probably 
never be understood by us. — Rhees, Life of Christ, pp, 
189, 190. 

He cometh and findeth them sleeping. (Mt. 26:40, 
41, 43.) He remained a long time upon his face in 
prayer, while the silver leaves whispered round him, 
and when he arose and returned to the three men, he 
found that their eyes had grown weary with watching, 
and they were all asleep. 

When awakened the three men were deeply grieved 
to see the sorrow of their young Master, as he turned 
and walked back into the shadowy depths of the garden, 
where he again fell upon his face. 

Again he remained a long time in prayer, prostrate 
on the sweet spring grass, for when he returned to 
his three disciples, they were again asleep, and awoke 
with a start to find him standing beside them pale and 
sad, looking down at them, but saying nothing. They 
did not know what to say. They were filled with shame 
and grief that they should enjoy refreshing sleep while 
Jesus was suffering such agony. 

Without saying a word, he turned and went back into 
the dark depths of the garden for the third time, to 


220 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


pray the same beseeching prayer — “0 my Father! if 
this cannot pass away from me except I do it, then 
Thy will be done. ’ 9 A short, brief, intense cry to God, 
nttered with even greater agony and earnestness than 
before, for as Jesus continued praying the sweat of his 
brow ran down in drops of red blood, dropping upon 
his white tunic, dropping upon the quivering grass. 
He grew weak with anguish, and through the black 
olive branches there appeared the figure of an angel 
from heaven, with moonlight on his wings, that stood 
beside him strengthening him. — Jesus the Carpenter, 
pp. 414, 415. 

“Sleep on, now ” (Mt. 26:45, 46.) There is an ob- 
vious difficulty in these words, followed as they are 
so immediately by the, 4 ‘ Rise, let us be going, ’ ’ of the 
next verse. We might, at first, be inclined to see in 
them a shade of implied reproach. “ Sleep on now, if 
sleep under such conditions is possible ; make the most 
of the short interval that remains before the hour of 
the betrayal comes .’ 9 Something of this kind seems 
obviously implied, but the sudden change is, perhaps, 
best explained by the supposition that it was not till 
after these words had been spoken that the traitor 
and his companions were seen actually approaching, 
and that it was this that led to the words seemingly so 
different in their purport, bidding the slumberers to 
rouse themselves from sleep. The past, which, as far 
as their trial went, might have been given to sleep, 
was over. A new crisis had come, calling for action. 
It is obvious that the clause, “let us be going,” does 
not involve any suggestion of flight, but rather a call 
to confront the danger. — Plumptre, Handy Com., Mat- 
thew, pp. 385, 386. 

“What, could ye not watch with me one hour f” (Mt. 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


221 


26:40-46.) We cannot but agree with those who see in 
what he said when he returned for the last time to the 
three, not irony, no touch of sarcasm, but the same ten- 
der consideration he has shown throughout. From the 
garden they could easily see the city in the moonlight 
across the ravine. As yet there was no sign of life 
about it ; all was quiet ; there was therefore no reason 
why they should not for the few moments that might 
remain to them sleep on now and take their rest. But 
it can only be for a short time, for 4 4 the hour is at 
hand.” We may, then, think of the three lying down 
to sleep, as the eight had probably been doing through- 
out, while Jesus, from whose mortal eyes sleep was 
banished now for ever, would watch until he saw the 
gleam of lanterns and torches as of men from the 
city coming down the hill, and then he would wake 
them and say, 4 4 Rise, let us be going. ’ ’ — Gibson, Expos. 
Bible, Matthew, pp. 402, 403. 

THE BETRAYAL AND ARREST. 

And straightway, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one 
of the twelve, and with him a multitude with swords and 
staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 

Now Judas also, who betrayed him, knew the place: for 
Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples: and he 
that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, “Whom- 
soever I shall kiss, that is he ; take him, and lead him away 
safely.” Judas then, having received the band of soldiers 
and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh 
thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. And when 
he was come, straightway he came to him, and said, “Hail, 
Rabbi,” and kissed him. 

But Jesus said unto him, “Judas, betrayest thou the 
Son of man with a kiss?” 

Jesus, therefore, knowing all the things that were com- 
ing upon him, went forth, and saith unto them, “Whom 
seek ye?” 


222 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 

Jesus saith unto them, “I am he.” 

And Judas also, who betrayed him, was standing with 
them. When therefore he said unto them, “I am he,” they 
went backward, and fell to the ground. 

Again therefore he asked them, “Whom seek ye?” 

And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 

Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he; if therefore 
ye seek me, let these go their way”: that the word might 
be fulfilled which he spake, “Of those whom thou hast 
given me I lost not one.” 

And when they that were about him saw what would 
follow, they said, “Lord, shall we smite with the sword?” 

Simon Peter therefore having a sword drew it, and struck 
the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. Now 
the servant’s name was Malchus. 

But Jesus answered and said, “Suffer ye them thus far.” 
And he touched his ear, and healed him. 

Then saith Jesus unto Peter, “Put up again thy sword 
into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish 
with the sword. Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech 
my Father and he shall even now send me more than twelve 
legions of angels? How then should the scriptures be 
fulfilled, that thus it must be? The cup which the Father 
hath given me, shall I not drink it?” 

And Jesus said unto the chief priests and captains of 
the temple, and elders, that were come against him, “Are 
ye come out as against a robber, with swords and staves? 
When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched 
not forth your hands against me: but this is your hour, 
and the power of darkness.” 

Then all the disciples left him, and fled. 

And a certain young man followed with him, having a 
linen cloth cast about him, over his naked body; and they 
lay hold on him ; but he left the linen cloth, and fled naked. 
(His Last Week, pp. 41-2; Mt. 26:47-56; Mk. 14:43-52; 
Lk. 22:47-53; Jn. 18:2-12.) 

“Buy a sword.” (Lk. 22-36.) The disciples misinter- 
preted his meaning until the events of that night ex- 
plained it to them, — as they ought to make it clear to 
us. They did not understand that he was urging them 
at any cost to make sure of the spiritual weapons they 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


223 


had already tested and found sufficient. They thought 
he meant a literal sword, just as when he warned them 
against the leaven of the Pharisees they thought he 
meant literal yeast. But something will soon occur to 
teach them he meant exactly the reverse. He reminds 
them that when he sent them forth unarmed and with- 
out even the things deemed needful for a journey, they 
lacked nothing. But the swords prove that they have 
forgotten that lesson. It must be repeated more im- 
pressively. He will have them take the swords and 
so discover, in a way they can never forget, the im- 
potence of arms in his service. He does not tell them 
that. By a gesture he waves the subject aside. “It 
is enough .’ 9 That is, enough has been said for the 
present. They will soon be forced to understand. 
When the right moment comes he will speak plainly. — 
William Burnet Wright, The Heart of the Master, p. 
135. 

“Whomsoever I shall kiss , that is he.” (Mt. 26 :48.) 
It was the business of the soldiers to make the arrest, 
but they did not know Jesus, and, seeing not one man 
but twelve, they were at a loss which was he. It was 
necessary that Judas should come forward and re- 
solve their perplexity. Then he advanced and, greet- 
ing Jesus with feigned reverence: “Hail, Rabbi !” 
kissed him effusively. It was the climax of his villainy, 
and Jesus repulsed him with a stinging sentence. 
Brushing the traitor aside, he stepped forward and sur- 
rendered himself ; and, overawed by his tone and hear- 
ing, the soldiers retreated and fell on the ground. 

Recovering themselves, they seized him, and, as they 
were proceeding to bind him, the more roughly perhaps 
that they were ashamed of their weakness, the indig- 
nation of the disciples mastered their alarm, and Peter, 


224 


DAY BY DAY MTTH JESUS 


with the courage of despair, drew a sword which he 
carried under his cloak and, assailing a slave of the 
high priest named Malchus, cut off his right ear. An 
uproar ensued, and the disciples must have paid the 
penalty of the rash act had not Jesus intervened. He 
touched the wounded ear and healed it. The miracle 
occasioned a diversion; and, while his mates were 
crowding about Malchus, Jesus reasoned with his ex- 
cited followers. 

Anxious to avert attention still further from the 
Eleven, Jesus addressed himself to the Jewish rulers 
who with their officers had accompanied the soldiers. 
“As though against a brigand / 9 he said scornfully, 
“have ye come forth with swords and cudgels V 9 And 
they were cowards still, coming forth with an armed 
band against a defenseless man. It was a stroke of 
biting sarcasm, and they felt the sting of it. Appar- 
ently it provoked them to violence. At all events the 
Eleven were at that moment stricken with sudden 
panic, and “all forsook him and fled.” — Hastings 9 
Diet, of Christ, vol. i, pp. 119, 120. 

And hissed him . (Mt. 26:49.) But the crowning 
profanation, for which humanity will never forgive 
him, was the sign by which he had agreed to make his 
Master known to his enemies. It is probable that he 
came on in front, as if he did not belong to the band 
behind; and, hurrying towards Jesus, as if to apprise 
him of his danger and condole with him on so sad a 
misfortune as his apprehension, he flung himself on his 
neck, sobbing, “Master, Master !” and not only did 
he kiss him, but he did so repeatedly or fervently; so 
the word signifies. As long as there is true, pure love 
in the world, this act will be hated and despised by 
everyone who has ever given or received this token of 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


225 


affection. It was a sin against the human heart and all 
its charities. But none can feel its horror as it must 
have been felt by J esus. That night and the next day 
his face was marred in many ways; it was furrowed 
by the bloody sweat ; it was bruised with blows ; they 
spat upon it ; it was rent with thorns ; but nothing went 
so close to his heart as the profanation of this kiss. — 
James Stalker, The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ, 
p. 4. 

The hand of soldiers. (Jn. 18:3.) They had, in- 
deed, the officers of the temple at their command ; but 
these were insufficient, since the law forbade them to 
go armed on the passover day, and, though Jesus and 
the Eleven were defenseless, he was the popular hero, 
and, should an alarm be raised, the multitude would be 
aroused and would come to the rescue. Moreover, had 
they taken such a step on their own authority, they 
would have offended the procurator, Pontius Pilate, 
who was ever jealous for the maintenance of order, 
especially at the festal seasons ; and it was of the ut- 
most moment that they should secure his sympathy 
and co-operation. Accordingly, though doubtless im- 
patient of the delay, they first of all appealed to him 
and obtained from him a detachment of soldiers from 
Fort Antonia, under the command of a tribune. 

Ere all was arranged several hours had elapsed. 
Jesus had quitted the Upper Room and the city, but the 
traitor knew whither he had gone, and led the way to 
the garden on Mount Olivet. ... It was a motley 
band that followed Judas. The soldiers would march 
in order, but the temple servants, armed with cudgels 
and carrying lamps and torches, gave it the appearance 
of a mere rabble. ' And with the rest, forgetting their 
dignity in their eagerness to witness the success of 


226 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


their machinations, went some of the high priests, the 
temple captains, and the elders. — Hastings, Diet, of 
Christ, vol. i, p. 119. 

A multitude with swords and staves . (Mk. 14:43.) 
The force sent to arrest Jesus was large. There was 
not only a company from the chief priests, but also a 
Roman cohort, the particular one which was stationed 
in the tower of Antonia near the temple, or part of it 
in Antonia and part in the palace (Mk. 14:43; Mt. 
26:47; Lk. 22:47; Jn. 18:3). This, if full, numbered 
from three to six hundred men. Yet the large force 
was no larger than the circumstances seemed to re- 
quire. The priests had feared to make an attempt to 
arrest Jesus during the feast, lest there should be a 
tumult of the people (Mk. 14:2). There were many 
among the pilgrims at the feast, and some of the people 
of Jerusalem, who had at least a superficial enthusiasm 
for Jesus, and if he should put himself at their head, 
as their Messiah, their force would be most dangerous. 
— George Holley Gilbert, Student’s Life of Jesus, p. 
278. 

(( Whom seek ye?” (Jn. 18:4.) How ridiculous now 
looked their cumbrous preparations — all these soldiers, 
the swords and staves, the torches and lanterns, now 
burning pale in the clear moonlight. Jesus made them 
feel it. He made them feel what manner of spirit they 
were of, and how utterly they had mistaken his views 
and spirit. “Whom seek ye!” he asked them again, 
to compel them to see that they were not taking him, 
but that he was giving himself up. He was completely 
master of the situation. Singling out the Sanhedrists, 
who probably at that moment would rather have kept 
in the background, he demanded, pointing to their ex- 
cessive preparations, “Be ye come out as against a 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


227 


thief, with swords and staves I When I was daily with 
you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against 
me.” He, a solitary man, though he knew how many 
were against him, had not been afraid ; he taught daily 
in the temple — in the most public place, at the most 
public hour. But they, numerous and powerful as 
they were, yet were afraid, and so they had chosen the 
midnight hour for their nefarious purpose. — James 
Stalker, The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ, p. 8. 

“Lord, shall we smite with the sword?” (Lk. 22: 
49) . The fighting disciple, John informs us, was Simon 
Peter. Thereupon J esus interposed to prevent further 
bloodshed, uttering words variously reported, but in 
all the different versions clearly inculcating a policy of 
non-resistance. Then he went on to hint at higher rea- 
sons for non-resistance than mere considerations of 
prudence or expediency. He could meet human force 
by superior, divine, celestial force if he chose, but he 
did not choose; for to overpower his enemies would be 
to defeat his own purpose in coming to the world, which 
was to conquer, not by physical force, but by truth 
and love and patience. — Bruce, Training of the Twelve, 
p. 465. 

Peter drew his sword. (Mt. 26:51.) Poor Peter! 
On this occasion he was thoroughly like himself. There 
was a kind of rightness and nobleness in what he did ; 
but it was in the wrong place. If he had only been as 
prompt inside Gethsemane to do what he was bidden 
as outside it to do what he was not bidden ! How much 
better if he could have drawn the spiritual sword and 
cut off the ear which was to be betrayed by a maid- 
servant ’s taunt ! Peter ’s conduct on this occasion, as 
often on other occasions, showed how poor a guide en- 
thusiasm is when it is not informed with the mind and 


228 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


spirit of Christ. — J ames Stalker, The Trial and Death 
of Jesus Christ, p. 11. 

“Are ye come as against a robber ?” (Mt. 26:55.) 
The allusion is to the invasion of his privacy in the 
garden, and the implied suggestion that they have put 
a false construction on his presence there. They think 
he has been seeking escape from his fate when in fact 
he has been bracing himself up for it ! To what miscon- 
struction the holiest and noblest actions are liable, and 
how humiliating to the heroic soul ! It was thoroughly 
characteristic of Jesus that he should feel the humilia- 
tion, and that he should at once give expression to the 
feeling. Jesus asks in effect why they did not appre- 
hend him while, for several days in succession, he sat 
in the temple precincts teaching. How could they 
imagine that a man who spoke his mind so openly could 
slink away into hiding-places like an evil-doer? Jesus 
reconciles himself to the indignity in the manner of his 
arrest, as to the arrest itself, and all that it involved, 
by the thought that it was in his 4 1 cup ’ 9 as described by 
the prophets. — Bruce, Expos. Greek Test., p. 318. 

They all forsook him and fled. (Mt. 26:56.) They 
had stood by him until his words and acts made it 
evident that Jesus was committed to a policy of non- 
resistance. After that, to stay was simply to involve 
themselves in his fate, and for that, not courage, but 
faith was lacking. This is the explanation of their 
conduct during this crisis ; their faith had suffered an 
eclipse. To the rest of the Jews, his non-resistance 
and the failure of heaven to interfere in his behalf were 
conclusive proof of the falseness of his Messianic claim. 
To the disciples, whose simpler and less sophisticated 
mind was deeply impressed with the varied proof of 
greatness afforded in their intimate association with 


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229 


him, but who had the same Jewish ideas of the Mes- 
siah, these untoward events were an occasion of pro- 
found doubt and perplexity, but not of actual unbelief. 
But doubt removes courage ; the disciples fled because 
their faith wavered. — Gould, Inter. Crit. Commentary, 
Mark, p. 275. 

The young man in the linen sheet . (Mk. 14 :51.) This 
may have been Mark himself. If the Passover meal 
was eaten at his mother’s home, he may have risen 
from his bed and followed Jesus and the disciples to 
Gethsemane, arriving in time to see the arrest and 
share the danger, and retreating in terror through the 
night back to his bed. No other evangelist mentions 
the incident. 


THE DENIAL OF PETER. 

And as Peter was sitting beneath in the court, there 
cometh one of the maids of the high priest; and seeing 
Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and saith, 
“Thou also wast with the Nazarene, even Jesus.” 

But he denied, saying, “I neither know nor understand 
what thou sayest,” and he went out into the porch ; and the 
cock crew. 

And after the space of about one hour, one of the serv- 
ants of the high priest, being a kinsman of him whose 
ear Peter cut off, saith, “Did I not see thee in the garden 
with him?” And they that stood by came and said to Peter, 
“Of a truth thou also art one of them; for thou art a 
Galilean; thy speech maketh thee known.” 

Then began he to curse and to swear, “I know not the 
man.” And straightway the cock crew. 

And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter 
remembered the word of the Lord, how that he said unto 
him, “Before the cock crow twice thou shalt deny me 
thrice.” 

And he went out, and wept bitterly. 

And straightway in the morning the chief priests with 
the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a con- 
sultation, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and 


230 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


delivered him up to Pilate, the governor. (His Last Week, 
p. 44; Mt. 26:58-75; Mk. 14:54-72; Lk. 54-62.) 

The steps of Peter y s fall. To understand exactly 
what happened to Peter in this terrible hour, we must 
remember the construction of an Oriental house. 
Whereas our houses open outwards on the street, an 
Oriental house opens inwards on its own interior, which 
consists of a square, open to the sky, on which rooms 
or galleries look down from three sides, while the 
fourth side is pierced by an archway, more or less 
spacious, according to the size of the building. 
Through this passage the traffic in and out takes place ; 
and, at the end of it next the street, there is a large 
gate, for admittting vehicles; and there may be, be- 
sides, a wicket in this gate for admitting individuals. 
In large houses there is a porter or portress, to give or 
refuse admission by either entrance. 

Hastening to the hall where the trial was to take 
place, John expected his companions to follow; but, 
blinded with the glare of the unaccustomed place, the 
rustic fisherman lingered just inside the gate, where, 
without knowing it, he became an object of attention 
to the portress, who, divining the situation with a 
woman’s quickness, watched him with amusement and 
curiosity as he began by degrees to saunter toward 
the fire, at which he sat down, as if he were one of the 
crowd hostile to Jesus. Being relieved at the termina- 
tion of her watch by another maid, the portress, after 
pointing out to her successor what she had been ob- 
serving, went up to the fire on the way to her quarters, 
and challenged Peter with being that which he was pre- 
tending not to be. Having discharged this pleasantry, 
she tripped laughingly away, but not before Peter, 
surprised and ashamed, had hotly denied. 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


231 


Then began he to curse . (Mt. 26 :74.) Yet there was 
a kind of method in the madness of Peter’s profanity. 
When he wanted to prove that he was none of Christ’s, 
he could not do better than take to cursing. They did 
not credit his assertions that he had no connection with 
his Master, but they could not help believing his sins. 
Nobody belonging to Jesus, they knew, would speak 
as Peter was doing. It is one of the strongest testi- 
monies to J esus still, that even those who do not believe 
in him expect cleanness of speech and of conduct from 
his followers, and are astonished if those who bear his 
name do things which when done by others are mat- 
ters of course. — James Stalker, The Trial and Death of 
J esus Christ, p. 39. 

The bad and good in Peter. If Peter caused his 
Master, first and last, far more provocation and far 
more pain than any other of his disciples, he at the 
same time gave his Master, again and again, more 
consolation and encouragement than any other disciple 
ever did. — Alexander Whyte. 

Our attitude toward Peter. Let no one of us say a 
word against Peter. He was a great and glorious man. 
No Christian can help loving and honoring him. His 
is one of the great souls of the Bible. As we read this 
terrible story today let us not try to exhibit our su- 
perior virtue against the dark background of Peter’s 
seeming infamy. Let us rather bow our heads in 
shame saying, “That which Peter did once under cir- 
cumstances of terrible temptation and terror, of that 
same hideous disloyalty have I been guilty over and 
over again.” Peter fell once into disloyalty upon one 
terrible night when the whole universe for him seemed 
to be in convulsion. But, oh, the continual shame of 
our lives! The very sins of such a great good man 


232 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


seem to have about them something nobler than much 
of our modern dingy attempts of self-denial-proof 
virtue. Peter had, at least, at the risk of his life, fol- 
lowed his Master into the very court of the enemy. Let 
those of us who feel quite sure we would have done as 
much throw the first stone at him. — J. Edgar Park, in 
Pilgrim Teacher. 

THE REMORSE OF JUDAS. 

Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that he 
was condemned, repented himself, and brought back the 
thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, say- 
ing, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood. ,, 

But they said, “What is that to us? See thou to it.” 

And he cast down the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, 
and departed ; and he went away and hanged himself. 

And the chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, 
“It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is 
the price of blood.” And they took counsel, and bought 
with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Where- 
fore that field was called, “The field of blood,” unto this 
day. 

Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jere- 
miah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces 
of silver, the price of him that was priced, whom certain 
of the children of Israel did price; and they gave them 
for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.” (His Last 
Week, p. 45; Mt. 27:3-10.) 

The remorse and suicide of Judas . (Mt. 27 :3-10.) 
In his anger at finding Jesus not to be the Christ he 
had hoped for and desired, Judas deserted and be- 
trayed him ; in the terrible calm that succeeded indul- 
gence [in revenge] he awoke to the realities within 
and about him, saw how blindly he had lived and hated. 
. . . Christ before his judges became intelligible 
to the man with the awakened conscience ; his spiritual 
meaning, aims, Messiahship all stood clear before his 
eye, while the men that were trying him, with their hol- 
low selfish worldliness, turned, as it were, into living 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


233 


transparencies. And so the trial was enough ; he could 
not live to see the end. He would hide himself in the 
grave ; seek the blindness of death. — Fairbairn, Studies 
in the Life of Christ, pp. 277, 278. 

THE TRIAL BEFORE THE JEWISH AUTHORITIES. 

So the band and the chief captain, and the officers of the 
Jews, seized Jesus and bound him, and led him to Annas 
first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, who was high 
priest that year, and they led Jesus away to the house of 
Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders were 
gathered together. Now Caiaphas was he that gave coun- 
sel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should 
die for the people. 

And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another 
disciple. Now that disciple was known unto the high 
priest, and entered in with Jesus into the court of the high 
priest; but Peter was standing at the door without. So 
the other disciple, who was known unto the high priest, 
went out and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought 
in Peter. 

The maid therefore that kept the door saith unto Peter, 
“Art thou also one of this man's disciples?’' 

He saith, “I am not." 

Now the servants and the officers were standing there, 
having made a fire of coals ; for it was cold ; and they were 
warming themselves; and Peter also was with them stand- 
ing and warming himself. 

The high priest therefore asked Jesus of his disciples, 
and of his teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken 
openly to the world; I ever taught in synagogues, and in 
the temple, where all the Jews come together; and in secret 
spake I nothing. Why askest thou me? Ask them that 
have heard me, what I spake unto them: behold, these 
know the things which I said." 

And when he had said this, one of the officers standing 
by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Answerest thou 
the high priest so?" 

Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear wit- 
ness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me?" 

Annas therefore sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high 
priest. 


234 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


Now the chief priests and the whole council sought wit- 
ness against Jesus to put him to death; and found it not. 
For many bare false witness against him, and their witness 
agreed not together. And there stood up certain, and bare 
false witness against him, saying, “We heard him say, I 
will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in 
three days I will build another made without hands.” And 
not even so did their witness agree together. 

And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, 
saying, “Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these 
witness against thee?” 

But he held his peace, and answered nothing. 

And the high priest said unto him, “I adjure thee by 
the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, 
the Son of God,” 

And Jesus said, “I am : and ye shall see the Son of man 
sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the 
clouds of heaven.” 

And the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, “What 
further need have we of witnesses? Ye have heard the 
blasphemy: what think ye?” 

And they all condemned him to be worthy of death. 

Then did they spit in his face and buffet him. And they 
blindfolded him and smote him with the palms of their 
hands, saying, “Prophesy unto us, thou Christ: who is he 
that struck thee?” (His Last Week, pp. 42-44; Mt. 26: 
57-27:1; Mk. 14:53-15 :1a; Lk. 22:54-71; Jn. 18:13-27.) 

The two trials. Not only were there two trials, but 
in each trial there were three separate stages or acts. 
In the first, or ecclesiastical trial, Jesus had first to ap- 
pear before Annas, then before Caiaphas and the San- 
hedrim during the night, and again before the same 
body after daybreak. And in the second, or civil trial, 
he appeared first before Pilate, who refused to con- 
firm the judgment of the Jews; then Pilate attempted 
to rid himself of the case by sending the Culprit to 
Herod of Galilee, who happened also to be at the time 
in Jerusalem; but the case came back to the Roman 
governor again, and, against his conscience, he con- 
firmed the capital sentence. — James Stalker, The Trial 
and Death of J esus Christ, p. 17. 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


235 


Led him to Annas first. ( Jn. 18 :13.) Annas, the son 
of Seth, was high priest at the time of the taking of 
the census by Qurenius (A. D. 6) and was deposed by 
the Roman procurator Valerius Gratus (Josephus, 
Ant. XVIII, ii, i, 2) about 15 A. D. Though deposed, 
he continued to exercise great authority. Five of his 
sons and his son-in-law Caiaphas were successively high 
priests, and it would appear that Annas presided over 
the Sanhedrin. He and his sons and son-in-law wielded 
the sacerdotal power for nearly fifty years. Josephus 
tells of his cupidity. 

Caiaphas , high priest that year. (Jn. 18:13.) 
Joseph Caiaphas, the fourth high priest appointed by 
the Roman procurator, Valerius Gratus, the immediate 
predecessor of Pontius Pilate, was high priest “that 
year.” But this does not imply that the high priest- 
hood had become an annual appointment. It was sub- 
ject to frequent change. Caiaphas was high priest 
from 18 to 36 A. D., the last ten years of his admin- 
istration being under Pontius Pilate. Religiously he 
belonged to, or at least favored, the Sadducees (Acts 
5:17). He was a hard, cruel, crafty man, adroit and 
wilful. He was deposed by Vitelius, and nothing more 
is known of him. Our information concerning him, in 
addition to that contained in the Gospels, is derived 
from Josephus. (Josephus, Antiquities, XVIII, iv, 3.) 

Jesus and Annas. (Jn. 18:12-24.) The first two 
evangelists obscurely indicate two stages in the trial 
of Jesus (Mt. 26:27-27:1; Mk. 14:53-15:1), but they 
transfer the events of the morning meeting of the San- 
hedrin to the previous night. Luke avoids this appar- 
ent mistake, and leaves room (22:54) for such an in- 
formal inquiry as that of Annas really was. 

When we bear in mind the predominant influence of 


236 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


the man, and the unscrupulousness of the whole pro- 
ceeding, it seems unnecessary to suppose that Annas 
was either deputy of the high priest, or president of 
the Sanhedrin, or chief examining judge. — Hastings, 
Bible Diet. vol. i, p. 100. 

To the high priest. (Lk. 22:54.) The high priest- 
hood of the Jews began with Aaron, whose successor 
was Eleazar (Num. 20:28), who was suceeded by Phin- 
ehas (Judges 20:28). According to Josephus the 
total number of high priests from Aaron till the ig- 
nominious end of the priesthood under Phannias was 
eighty-three (Ant. XX, 10). Many questions concern- 
ing the high priesthood we cannot answer, as, for in- 
stance, how Eli became high priest with a temple at 
Shiloh. The modern Samaritans charge that Eli was 
a usurper, a junior priest who established a rival tem- 
ple in opposition to the original shrine at Shechem. 
At times the priesthood became degraded, and was 
more sought as a political than as a spiritual office. At 
first the priests obtained their succession by hereditary 
descent in direct line from Aaron. In the time of 
Christ the high priest, while appointed from the priest- 
ly families, was elevated and deposed at the will of the 
Roman government. He had charge of the temple wor- 
ship and also of the treasury, and was president of 
the Sanhedrin, the highest court of the Jewish people. 

Where the scribes and the elders were gathered to- 
gether. (Mt. 26:57.) There are men living now who 
remember the time when people were arrested and led 
to the palace of the Armenian high priest, and were 
tried for heresy and infidelity by scribes and elders ; 
and in the year, 1906, the Maronite Patriarch high 
priest, declared officially and publicly, under his signa- 
ture and seal, that under no circumstances would he 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


237 


allow any teachers not of his persuasion to labor or 
live in his province. Ecclesiastical heads of Oriental 
religious communities would not feel flattered were I 
to say they are indifferent, or even tolerant, with re- 
gard to the propagation of strange doctrines among 
their peoples (Acts 17:19, 20). — Mrs. Ghosn-el-Howie 
in S. S. Times. 

Jesus held his peace . (Mt. 26:63.) Those who have 
any knowledge of the conduct of cases, and how the 
accused and their friends behave in Oriental courts, 
must he astonished beyond measure at the silence of 
Jesus in the sight of his judges and accusers. It is 
rare to find the contending parties speaking one at a 
time, and even now, after years of reform, officials 
find it difficult to keep order. Plaintiff and prisoner 
clamor, and each calls God to witness that the other 
is a liar, and their friends back them up. It would not 
have occurred to an Oriental reporter to guess, still 
less to report, that an accused was silent before his 
accusers (Isa. 53:7). — Mrs. Ghosn-el-Howie in S. S. 
Times. 

To the house of Caiaphas . (Mt. 26:57.) Some peo- 
ple believe this house is still standing. The house 
which tradition has assigned to the high priest, and 
which the Arabs call “The Prison of Christ’ ’ stands in 
the southern part of Jerusalem, and is a part of the 
Armenian Monastery of Zion. The tradition is inter- 
esting, but unsupported. The location, however, lends 
itself well to the supposed itinerary of Friday, and 
most maps of Jerusalem that attempt to outline the 
walks of Jesus on that day assume that the location 
of Caiaphas’ house was not far from this site. 

In the midst of the court. (Lk. 22:55.) It appears 
that the houses of Annas and Caiaphas, and perhaps 


238 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


also those of the sons of the high priest who had been 
high priest, adjoined each other, and were built around 
a common court. 

Two witnesses required. According to the Hebrew 
text, one witness is no witness ; there must be at least 
two or three who know the fact. . . . When a man 

is condemned to death, those witnesses whose evidence 
decided the sentence inflict the first blows, in order to 
add the last degree of certainty to their evidence. 
Hence the expression — “Let him among you who is 
without sin, cast the first stone / 9 ... A woman 
could not be a witness, because she would not have the 
courage to give the first blow to the condemned per- 
son ; nor could a child, that is irresponsible, nor a slave, 
nor a man of bad character, nor one whose infirmities 
prevent the full enjoyment of his physical and' moral 
faculties. The simple confession of an individual 
against himself , or the declaration of a prophet, how- 
ever renowned, would not decide a condemnation. The 
Doctors say, We hold it as a fundamental, that no one 
shall prejudice himself. If a man accuses himself be- 
fore a tribunal, we must not believe him, unless the 
fact is attested by two other witnesses. — From trans- 
lation of an article by M. Dupin, a French lawyer in 
Greenleaf’s “Examination of the Testimony of the 
Evangelists/ ’ p. 581. 

The chief priests sought false witness. (Mt. 26 :59.) 
To the western mind, with its ethical standards, it 
seems strange that representative leaders of religion 
should have acted in such a manner. But in the East, 
religion is the first consideration, and though veracity 
and righteousness are accepted as its handmaids, these 
must never act in opposition to what is regarded as 
the supreme interest. At the present day it is rarely, 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


239 


and then only with feelings of personal discredit and a 
consciousness of unnatural behavior, that a Moslem or 
Oriental Christian will bear witness in a court for 
truth’s sake against a fellow-believer and to the ad- 
vantage of one of another faith. Similarly an Oriental 
who has committed murder is never heard of as volun- 
tarily giving himself up to the police and confessing 
his crime in order to get peace of conscience. In these 
lands there never has been any tribunal standing be- 
fore the entire people for the interpretation and en- 
forcement of national law by means of men trained for 
the purpose and above the influence of bribery and 
party sympathies. In this way, through the lack of 
something to represent the impartiality and awe of 
Divine Justice, the Oriental conscience has lost, and 
is now trying to recover, something that is vital to 
public citizenship. — Gfeo. M. Mackie, D. D., in S. S. 
Times. 

Tried by the Sanhedrin . The regular place of meet- 
ing for the Sanhedrin is thought to have been on the 
temple mount, but that may not have been available 
for the trial of Jesus, since the gates of the temple were 
closed at night. So the trial of Jesus took place in 
the high priest’s house. At what hour it began we 
cannot definitely say, neither can we determine how 
long it continued. This, however, is plain, that it was 
all over and Jesus was led away to Pilate while it was 
still early morning (Mk. 15:1; Mt. 27:1; Jn. 18:28). 
From the narrative of Mark we infer that the proceed- 
ings of the Sanhedrin and the subsequent ill-treat- 
ment of Jesus occupied considerable time, possibly two 
or three hours. Many false witnesses were heard and 
their testimony discussed; there was the dialogue be- 
tween Jesus and Caiaphas; then the formal voting of 


240 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


the Sanhedrin, and after that the varied abuse of Jesus. 
There was probably all possible haste, for the leaders 
were apprehensive of a tumult in favor of Jesus, and 
yet the period allowed for these events must not be 
too much compressed. — George Holley Gilbert, Stu- 
dent’s Life of Jesus, pp. 286-7. 

Morning session of the Sanhedrin. (Lk. 22:66-71.) 
In order not to violate at least the form of law, the 
Sanhedrin come together the second time, early in the 
morning at a legally permitted hour and in fuller num- 
bers, not in order to deliberate further, but in order 
to ratify, as far as requisite, a resolution already taken. 
Without doubt, the chief managers in the night session 
have already instructed the other counsellors suffi- 
ciently upon the state of the case as already reached 
before the prisoner is again brought in. The trans- 
action of Caiaphas receives the approbation of the 
others. . . . Now there is not even an express 

sentence of death uttered; the one formerly passed 
simply continues in force. — Lange, Commentary on 
Luke, p. 357. 

“Ye shall see the Son of man at the right hand of 
Power.” (Mt. 26:64.) His answer turned the tide of 
popular indignation against him. There was now no 
need to go into the past transactions of his ministry, 
for matter of accusation. His friends might claim for 
him on that score all that the warmest gratitude and 
love could inspire; and all this could be safely con- 
ceded. But here, his accusers might say, was a new 
and shocking crime, just perpetrated in the presence 
of the most sacred tribunal ; a crime so shocking, and 
so boldly committed, that the high priest rent his 
clothes with horror, in the very judgment seat, in the 
presence of all the members of the Sanhedrin, who, 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


241 


with one accord, upon that evidence alone, immediately 
convicted the offender and sentenced him to death. 

If we regard Jesus simply as a Jewish citizen, and 
with no higher character, this conviction seems sub- 
stantially right in point of law, though the trial were 
not legal in all its forms. It is not easy to conceive 
on what ground his conduct could have been defended 
before any tribunal, unless upon that of superhuman 
character. — Greenleaf, Testimony of the Evangelists, 
p. 526. 


THE TRIAL BEFORE PILATE. 

They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Prae- 
torium: and it was early; and they themselves entered 
not into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, 
but might eat the passover. Pilate therefore went out unto 
them, and saith, “What accusation bring ye against this 
man?” 

They answered and said unto him, “If this man were not 
an evil-doer, we should not have delivered him up unto 
thee.” 

Pilate therefore said unto them, “Take him yourselves, 
and judge him according to your law.” 

The Jews said unto him, “It is not lawful for us to put 
any man to death”: that the word of Jesus might be ful- 
filled, which he spake, signifying by what manner of death 
he should die. 

And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this 
man perverting our nation, and forbidding to give tribute 
to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ a king.” 

And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, 
he answered nothing. Then saith Pilate unto him, “Hear- 
est thou not how many things they witness against thee?” 
And he gave him no answer, not even to one word: inso- 
much that the governor marvelled greatly. 

Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and 
called Jesus, and said unto him, “Art thou the King of 
the Jews?” 

Jesus answered, “Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others 
tell it thee concerning me?” 

Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and 


242 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


the chief priests delivered thee unto me: what hast thou 
done? ,, 

Jesus answered, ‘‘My kingdom is not of this world: if 
my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants 
fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now 
is my kingdom not from hence/’ 

Pilate therefore said unto him, “Art thou a king then?” 

Jesus answered, “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this 
end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the 
world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every 
one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” 

Pilate saith unto him, “What is truth?” 

And when he had said this, he went out again unto the 
Jews, and saith unto them, “I find no crime in him.” 

But they were the more urgent, saying, “He stirreth up 
the people, teaching throughout all Judaea, and beginning 
from Galilee, even unto this place.” 

But when Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man 
were a Galilaean. And when he knew that he was of 
Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him unto Herod, who himself 
also was at Jerusalem in these days. (His Last Week, pp. 
45-47; Mt. 27:2, 11-14; Mk. 15:lb-5; Lk. 23:1-5; Jn. 18: 
28-38.) 

The governor . (Mt. 27 :2.) Three of the four divi- 
sions of the kingdom of the Herods were ruled by sons 
of Herod the Great ; but J udea and Samaria were ruled 
by a Roman procurator. This was partly because 
Archelaus Herod, to whom this part of the dominion 
was assigned on the death of his father, had fallen into 
disfavor at Rome, and perhaps also because Rome 
judged it well to have an officer appointed directly by 
the Roman sovereign in control of the central portion, 
and the capital, Jerusalem. 

Unto Pilate . (Mt. 27 :2.) Pontius Pilate was the 
fifth Roman procurator of Judea and Samaria, and 
held office from 26 to 36 A. D. Pilate is a cognomen, and 
may either signify a javelin, or pileus, the felt cap 
given to a manumitted slave. Tradition has it that he 
was either such a slave or the descendant of one. His 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


243 


official residence was in Caesarea, but he was accus- 
tomed to visit Jerusalem at the time of the feasts. 
Many cruel deeds are alleged against him during his 
ten years of office. Besides the Galileans whose blood 
Pilate mingled with their sacrifices, of whom we are 
told in Lk. 13 :1, and the record of the murder of Jesus, 
we have authentic information, for the most part fur- 
nished by Josephus, of his cruelty. Repeatedly the 
Jewish people rose in insurrection against him, and 
these outbreaks were punished with unsparing rigor. 
The murder of a number of Samaritans on Mount 
Gerizim caused a formal protest on the part of the 
Samaritan elders, and he was ordered to Rome to an- 
swer before the Emperor Tiberius in 36 A. D. By the 
time he arrived, Tiberius had died, and Caligula suc- 
ceeded. Eusebius preserves the record that he took 
his own life (H. E. II, 7). There are other and con- 
flicting traditions. Mount Pilatus in Switzerland is 
named for him, by reason of the tradition that his body 
found its last and uneasy resting place there. Every 
year at Good Friday the devil is alleged to take him 
out, and set him on a throne, where he washes his 
hands. He appears in Scripture a cynical man, and 
a time-serving politician, who, however, really desired 
to release Jesus. Tertullian counted him a Christian 
at heart, and the Ethiopic Church made him a saint, 
his day being June 25. But the church at large has 
never consented to his canonization. In the old creed 
known as the Apostles’ Creed, his name and that of 
Mary are preserved — hers to everlasting honor as the 
mother, and his to eternal reprobation as the mur- 
derer of Jesus. “He suffered under Pontius Pilate.” 

“We found this man perverting our nation (Lk. 
23:2.) Jesus was accused of blasphemy, which the 


244 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


Jews recognized as a crime, but which was not a penal 
offense against Roman law, by which alone he could be 
put to death. For this reason the charge preferred 
against him before Pilate was made sedition, which the 
J ewish leaders did not regard as a crime. 

At first the Jews endeavored to compel Pilate to 
sentence Jesus without their formulating a charge (Jn. 
18:29, 30). Failing in this they charged him with 
treason in three forms: (1) perverting the Jewish na- 
tion, that is, making it disloyal to Rome; (2) forbid- 
ding the people to pay tribute to Caesar; (3) making 
himself a king. The first and second were absolutely 
false; the third was true in a sense, but as Jesus 
showed Pilate to the satisfaction of that cynical judge, 
not true in the Roman sense. A distinguished jurist 
has recently published an article reviewing the trial 
from the standpoint of the laws then in force. He 
quotes the words of Pilate: “Having examined him 
before you, I find no fault in this man * * * no, 

nor yet Herod # * * behold, nothing worthy of 

death hath been done by him,” and says: “This was 
a final judgment of the Roman judge, and being an 
acquittal, could not, as we have seen in our reading of 
the Roman law, be reversed. It was res adjudicata, 
and binding for all time. And all the proceedings sub- 
sequent to this were void, and the final conviction and 
execution were but steps in a judicial murder.” 

A notable prisoner named Barabbas. (Mt. 27:16.) 
Barabbas is a surname, and means “son of a rabbi.” 
His presence in the narrative may be used as proof of 
the justice of the ill desert of ministers’ sons, but it is 
not certain that this man was a common criminal. 

Now Barabbas was a robber. (Jn. 18:40.) But he 
was very probably something other than an ordinary 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


245 


criminal. He was “a certain notable prisoner’ ’ and 
whatever his other crimes, that for which he was con- 
demned was not robbery but insurrection (Mk. 15:7). 
The crime had been committed in Jerusalem, and was 
accompanied with loss of life. His first name, for 
Barabbas was a surname, is judged from some old 
manuscripts to have been Jesus, which, as the Greek 
equivalent of Joshua, was a not uncommon name among 
the Jews in the time of Christ. Political offenders 
frequently supported themselves by unlawful raids, 
and it is very likely that the crimes of Barabbas were 
of this character, and of insurrection against the Rom- 
an authority. The robbers crucified with Jesus were 
very likely of his band, as it is told us that his com- 
panions were bound with him, probably awaiting execu- 
tion on that day. 

The crown of thorns . Palestine has over 50 genera 
and 200 species of plants provided with thorns. It is 
quite impossible to determine with certainty what plant 
contributed the thorns for the shameful crown of our 
Lord. The tradition of Palestine is in favor of the 
plant known as Calycotome Villosa, which the Arabs 
call Kundaul. Thorny twigs from this shrub are bent 
into crowns and sold to tourists in Jerusalem. The 
twig is pliable, and the thorn is long and sharp. There 
are other plants that fulfill the simple conditions of the 
narrative, among them the Nubk, which scholars call 
Zizyphus, and which is often called Spina Christi. Its 
deep green leaves somewhat resemble the ivy with 
which victors were crowned, and may thus have added 
that mockery to pain. 

Pilgrims to Jerusalem are offered little crowns made 
from the Spina Christi; and some of them are laid at 
the foot of a life-sized statue of the thorn-crowned 


246 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


Christ, which stands in the church of the Sisters of 
Zion in the Via Dolorosa, close to the Ecce Homo arch, 
where Jesus is supposed to have been crowned. The 
author of these notes procured one of these little 
crowns in that place. It is probably not unlike that 
with which our Lord was crowned. 



CROWN OF THORNS PROCURED BY THE 
AUTHOR IN JERUSALEM. 


The crown of thorns, (Jn. 18:5.) The crown of 
thorns should not be confounded with the “diadem” 
of the Roman emperors. That came from the Orient, 
and was originally a linen band or a silk ribbon, bound 
around the temples with the ends hanging down behind. 
In later times it was adorned with pearls and gems 
and adopted as the imperial crown. But there was 
nothing about it that thorns could suggest. Moreover, 
though Aurelian wore it occasionally, Constantine was 
the first to wear it habitually as the badge of office. 
To confound it with the crown of thorns is therefore 
an anachronism. The corona radiata was a circle of 
gold with long sharp spikes like sun rays. Of these the 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


247 


thorns were a mocking parody. From the early times 
it was used to crown the statues of deities and deified 
heroes. It was never adopted as the badge of imperial 
office. The soldiers meant it to ridicule the claims of 
divinity which they had acknowledged the night be- 
fore. What plant supplied its material is not known. 
We know only that it had thorns. From the apparent 
purpose of the soldiers I infer that the thorns were 
long and sharp. They bore no resemblance to the pic- 
tures the painters have presented. What the painters 
have given us is an unconscious imitation of the relic 
brought from Venice to Paris in 1239 A. D. — William 
Burnet Wright, The Heart of the Master, p. 204. 

JESUS BEFORE HEROD. 

Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad; for 
he was of a long time desirous to see him, because he had 
heard concerning him; and he hoped to see some miracle 
done by him. And he questioned him in many words; but 
he answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the 
scribes stood, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with 
his soldiers set him at nought, and mocked him, and array- 
ing him in gorgeous apparel sent him back to Pilate. 

And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other 
that very day: for before they were at enmity between 
themselves. (His Last Week, p. 47; Lk. 23:6-12.) 

He sent him unto Herod. (Lk. 23:6.) This was 
Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Galilee. The house of the 
Herods was founded by Antipater, an Idumasan gov- 
ernor, who made himself master of a dominion great 
enough to entitle him to the name of king. He ruled un- 
der the authority of Rome, and was succeeded by his 
son, Herod the Great, who extended his power beyond 
Jordan, and became known as “ Herod, the King of the 
Jews.” He died a few months after the birth of Jesus. 
His kingdom was divided among his sons : Archelaus, 


248 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


who ruled over Judaea, Antipas, whose capital was at 
Tiberius, on the Sea of Galilee, Philip, whose territory 
was north and east of the Sea of Galilee, and who built 
Caesarea Philippi and ruled 38 years, on the whole 
temperately and well, and Herod Philip, who was 
omitted from his father’s second will by the treachery 
of his mother, and was wronged of his wife, Herodias, 
by his brother Antipas. The Herod who put John to 
death and to whom Pilate sent Jesus was Herod An- 
tipas. Each son was intended to have been governor 
under Rome of a Tetrarchy, or quarter kingdom; but 
Archelaus had fallen into disfavor and his kingdom 
was governed by a Roman procurator until the year 41 
A. D., when Herod Agrippa, son of Aristobulus, and 
grandson of Herod the Great and Mariamme, the 
daughter of the Maccabaean priest-king, John Hyr- 
canus, ruled over all the territory that had belonged 
to his grandfather. 

The house of Herod. Near the Jaffa gate in Jeru- 
salem stands the Tower of Hippicus, believed to have 
been one of the towers erected by Herod in defense 
of his magnificent palace, erected in the northwestern 
portion of Jerusalem. It is supposed that Jesus was 
led from Pilate’s judgment seat at the Castle of An- 
tonia, across the city, to the palace of Herod, and back 
again. 

The hearing before Herod. (Lk. 23 :6-12.) If Jesus 
had been guilty of crime within the borders of Galilee, 
plainly Herod Antipas was the man to deal with him; 
he might be more impartial, too, than the local priests 
and scribes. Besides, it was a politic attention to An- 
tipas. So the procurator gladly dismissed his prisoner 
to the Galilean tetrarch, only too relieved to be quit, 
as he hoped, of this inconvenient responsibility. But 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


249 


this change of venue was futile. ... It did not 
help Pilate. The crafty Herod was shy of touching any 
charge of high treason. As Mr. Taylor Innes puts it, 
“the Idumean fox dreaded the lion’s paw, while very 
willing to exchange courtesies with the lion’s deputy.” 
— Hastings, Diet, of Christ, vol. ii, p. 755. 

THE TRIAL BEFORE PILATE RESUMED. 

And Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers 
and the people, and said unto them, “Ye brought unto me 
this man, as one that perverteth the people: and behold, 
I, having examined him before you, found no fault in this 
man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: no, 
nor yet Herod : for he sent him back unto us ; and behold, 
nothing worthy of death hath been done by him. I will 
therefore chastise him, and release him/’ 

Now at the feast the governor was wont to release unto 
the multitude one prisoner, whom they would. And they 
had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas, lying bound 
with them that had made insurrection, men who in the 
insurrection had committed murder. And the multitude 
went up and began to ask him to do as he was wont to do 
unto them. 

And Pilate answered them, saying, “Will ye that I re- 
lease unto you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived 
that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up. 

Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multi- 
tudes that they should ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. 

But the governor answered and said unto them, “Which 
of the two will ye that I release unto you?” 

And they said, “Barabbas.” 

Pilate saith unto them, “What then shall I do unto Jesus 
who is called Christ?” 

They all say, “Let him be crucified.” 

And he said unto them a third time, “Why, what evil 
hath this man done? I have found no cause of death in 
him: I will therefore chastise and release him.” 

Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. 

And the soldiers led him away within the court, which 
is the Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. 

And they stripped him, and arrayed him in a purple gar- 
ment. And they platted a crown of thorns and put it upon 


250 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled 
down before him, and mocked him, saying: “Hail, King 
of the Jews!” and they struck him with their hands. And 
they spat upon him, and took the reed and smote him upon 
the head. 

And Pilate went out again, and saith unto them, “Behold, 
I bring him out to you, that ye may know that I find no 
crime in him.” 

Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns 
and the purple garment. And Pilate saith unto them, “Be- 
hold, the man !” 

When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw 
him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify him, crucify him!” 

Pilate therefore saith unto him, “Speakest thou not unto 
him : for I find no crime in him.” 

The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that 
law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son 
of God.” 

When Pilate therefore heard this saying, he was the more 
afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again, and saith 
unto Jesus, “Whence art thou?” 

But Jesus gave him no answer. 

Pilate therefore saith unto him, “Speakest thou not unto 
me? Knowest thou not that I have power to release thee, 
and have power to crucify thee?” 

Jesus answered him, “Thou wouldest have no power 
against me, except it were given thee from above: there- 
fore he that delivered me unto thee hath greater sin.” 

Upon this Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews 
cried out, saying, “If thou release this man, thou art not 
Caesar’s friend: every one that maketh himself a king 
speaketh against Caesar.” 

When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought 
Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment-seat at a place 
called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 

And while he was sitting on the judgment-seat, his wife 
sent unto him, saying, “Have thou nothing to do with that 
righteous man; for I have suffered many things this day in 
a dream because of him.” 

Now it was the Preparation of the passover: it was about 
the sixth hour. And he saith unto the Jews, “Behold, your 
King.” 

They therefore cried out, “Away with him, away with 
him, crucify him !” 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


251 


Pilate saith unto him, “Shall I crucify your King?” 

The chief priests answered, “We have no king but 
Caesar.” 

So when Pilate saw that he prevailed nothing, but rather 
that a tumult was arising, he took water, and washed his 
hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the 
blood of this righteous man; see ye to it.” 

And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on 
us, and on our children.” 

And they were urgent with loud voices asking that he 
might be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 

And Pilate, wishing to content the multitude, gave sen- 
tence that what they asked for should be done. And he 
released unto them Barabbas, him that for insurrection 
and murder had been cast into prison, whom they asked 
for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will, to be crucified. 

And when they had mocked him, they took off from him 
the purple robe, and put on him his garments, and led him 
away to crucify him. (His Last Week, p. 47 ; Mt. 27 :15- 
30; Mk. 15:6-19; Lk. 13-25; Jn. 18:39-19:16.) 

Gabbatha or pavement . (Jn. 18:13.) An elevated 
platform or pavement of many-colored marble on which 
the bema or judgment-seat was placed. 

The prcetorium. The praetorium of Pilate is identi- 
fied by some scholars with the palace of Herod, on the 
west side of the city, and by others with the fortress 
Antonia, at the northwest corner of the temple area. 
According to Josephus, the Roman procurator Florus 
(64-66 A. D.) resided in Herod's palace, but this fact 
is hardly proof that Pilate also resided there, thirty 
years before the time of Florus. However, since An- 
tonia was a military barrack rather than a residence, 
and since Pilate's wife was in Jerusalem with him 
(Mt. 27 :19), it is probable that he abode in this palace. 
—George Holley Gilbert, Student’s Life of Jesus, p. 
289. 

The judgment seat. (Jno. 18:33.) The genius for 
justice which made the Romans the world's accepted 


252 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


lawgivers, led them to court publicity in judicial pro- 
cedures. For this reason verdicts were pronounced in 
the open air, and from an elevation which enabled the 
public to see and hear. In accordance with this cus- 
tom a platform was raised in the court. It was called 
the Gabbatha or Pavement, and was covered with tiles 
of various colors, in imitation of the forum at Rome. 
Upon this platform the curule chair or “judgment 
seat ’ ’ was placed. Simply shaped, it resembled a camp 
stool adorned with ivory and gold. Upon it Pilate sat 
between two officials (that is, if he obeyed the law which 
required their presence) when he surrendered to the 
mob. — William Burnet Wright, The Heart of the Mas- 
ter, pp. 175.-6. 

The timidity of Pilate . It was in this moment, when 
the cry was loudest and most threatening, that Pilate 
yielded himself in order to escape the difficulty of the 
courageous course. Had he but boldly stepped from 
the judgment-seat and ranged himself by the side of 
Christ, obeying thus the best impulses of his heart and 
the reasoned judgment of his mind, what an access of 
power had been his, and how different had been his sub- 
sequent history! He failed, however, and his weak 
downfall is a picture of the thousands who since his 
day have taken the same course. And it is a startling 
warning, too, by giving heed to which we may be saved 
his end. — J. Stuart Holden, The Pre-eminent Lord, p. 
150. 

“Crucify him!” (Lk. 23:21.) That world which 
scorns its Marys and anoints its Caesars; that world 
which knew him not and when it come to know him a 
little hated him because its prince had nothing in him ; 
that world whence he told Pilate his kingdom was not ; 
that world whose cherished maxims are the categorical 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


253 


contradictions of liis beatitudes; that world which, 
when his disciples imitate their Master, hates them be- 
cause they are not of it; that world which is still the 
arch hindrance to the coming of the kingdom for which 
we pray ; that world which he came to deliver from its 
vile self, had for a moment mistaken him for one of its 
cheap idols, and therefore had gone after him long 
enough to shout those hosannas which, the instant it 
discovered the blunder, changed into the yell, ‘ ‘ Crucify 
him! Crucify him!” — William Burnet Wright, The 
Heart of the Master, p. 35. 

The trial before Pilate . (Jn. 18:28-38.) It could 
not be expected that Pilate would trouble himself with 
the cognizance of any matter not pertaining to the 
Roman law. Of this the chief priests and elders were 
fully aware; and therefore they prepared a second 
accusation against Jesus, founded on the Roman law; 
as likely to succeed with Pilate, as the former had done 
with the people. They charged him with attempting 
to restore the kingdom of Israel, under his own domin- 
ion as King of tb* Jews. 

It was a charge of high treason against the Roman 
state and emperor. Pilate accordingly arraigned J esus, 
and called upon him to answer this accusation. The 
answer of Jesus satisfied Pilate that it was ground- 
less, the kingdom which he set up appearing plainly to 
be not a kingdom of this world, but his spiritual reign 
in righteousness and holiness and peace, in the hearts 
of men. Pilate therefore acquitted him of the offence. 

But the multitude, headed now by the priests and 
elders, grew clamorous for his execution; adding, “He 
stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all J ewry, 
beginning from Galilee to this place.” Hearing this 
reference to Galilee, Pilate seized the opportunity, thus 


254 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


offered, of escaping from the responsibility of a judg- 
ment, either of acquittal or of condemnation, by treat- 
ing the case as out of his jurisdiction, and within that 
of Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, who was then in J erusa- 
lem on a visit. — Condensed from Greenleaf, Testimony 
of the Evangelists, pp. 526-528. 

The prevailing voice . Pilate on the judgment-seat, 
confronted by the Son of God, whom the chief priests 
and scribes had dragged thither, is typical of every 
man who is in any way brought face to face with Christ. 
To most, if not to all *of us, there comes sooner or later 
the necessity of making a determining choice with re- 
gard to his call and claims. By varied ways and in 
various circumstances he is brought into our personal 
judgment-hall, where conscience and heart and will are 
bound to make decision concerning him. And did we 
but know it, we are ourselves being judged as we judge 
him. Looking back to that scene in the praetorium we 
no longer see the Roman Governor as the judge, but 
recognize the rather that the erstwhile Prisoner domi- 
nates the situation. History has unerringly reversed 
the position of Christ and Pilate, and the memorable 
scene for ever stands out not as the condemnation and 
downfall of Christ, but rather as the condemnation and 
downfall of Pilate. — J. Stuart Holden, The Pre-emi- 
nent Lord, pp. 145-6. 

The sixteen questions of Pilate . Twenty-eight sepa- 
rate sentences from the lips of Pontius Pilate are re- 
corded in the story of Christ’s trial, sixteen of which 
are questions. 

1. “What accusation bring ye against this man!” 
(John 18 :29.) 

2. “Art thou the King of the Jews!” (Mt. 27:11.; 
Mk. 15:2; Lk. 23:3; Jn. 18:33.) 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


255 


3. “Am I a Jew?” (Jn. 18:35.) 

4. “What hast thou doneV 9 (Jn. 18:35.) 

5. “Art thon a king then?” (Jn. 18:37.) 

6. “What is truth?” (Jn. 18:38.) 

7. “Hearest thou not how many things they wit- 
ness against thee? Answerest thou nothing?” (Mt. 
27:13; Mk. 15:4.) 

8. “He asked whether the man were a Galilsean.” 
(Lk 23 :6.) 

9. “I find no crime in him. But ye have a custom, 
that I should release unto you one at the passover : Will 
ye, therefore, that I release unto you the King of the 
Jews?” (Jn. 18:39.) 

10. “Which of the two will ye that I release unto 
you?” (Mt. 27:21.) 

11. “What then shall I do unto Jesus, who is called 
Christ ? ” ( Mt. 27 :22 ; Mk. 15 :12. ) 

12. “Why, what evil hath he done?” (Mt. 27:23; 
Mk. 15 ;14 ; Lk. 23:22.) 

13. “Whence art thou?” (Jn. 19:9.) 

14. “Speakest thou not unto me?” (Jn. 19:10.) 

15. “Knowest thou not that I have power to cru- 
cify thee, and have power to release thee?” (Jn. 
19:10.) 

16. “Shall I crucify your King?” (Jn. 19:15.) 

Pilate's knowledge of the case . Pilate understood 

perfectly well with whom he was dealing. He could 
only be amused with their zeal for the payment of the 
Roman tribute. One of the evangelists says, “He 
knew that for envy they had delivered him.” How far 
he was already acquainted with the career of J esus we 
cannot tell. He had been governor all the time of the 
movement inaugurated by the Baptist and continued by 
Christ, and he can hardly have remained in entire ig- 


256 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


norance of it. The dream of his wife seems to prove 
that Jesus had already been a theme of conversation in 
the palace ; and perhaps the tedium of a visit to J eru- 
salem may have been relieved for the governor and his 
wife by the story of the young enthusiast who was 
bearding the fanatic priests. Pilate displays, all 
through, a real interest in Jesus and a genuine respect. 
— James Stalker, The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ, 
p. 53. 

The character of Pilate . Pilate was not inherently 
wicked. He was quick to appreciate the character of 
Christ, and showed a spiritual insight keener than any 
of the Twelve exhibited before the crucifixion. Yet of 
all the men named in the New Testament, there is none 
excepting Judas Iscariot whom the Christian imagina- 
tion has painted in darker colors. Of his career we 
know little. We can scarcely tell whence he came or 
whither he went. We do not know whether his name 
signifies “spearsman” or “freedman,” “chevalier” or 
“slave.” But the Gospels make three facts plain. 

I. He was quick to discern the innocence and appre- 
ciate the royalty of Christ. Only Mary of Bethany sur- 
passed him in this respect. 

II. He tried with all the energy of a will not ex- 
ceptionally weak to prevent the assassination which his 
fears compelled him to permit. 

III. He was the only one of the four responsible 
for the crucifixion, of whose conduct Jesus spoke in 
palliation. ‘ 4 Thou wouldest have no power against me, 
except it were given thee from above ; therefore he that 
delivered me unto thee hath greater sin” (is guiltier 
than thou). — William Burnet Wright, The Heart of 
the Master, pp. 149-50. 

Ee washed his hands . (Mt. 27 :24.) This was an im- 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


257 


pressive act ; yet its impressiveness was too theatrical. 
He washed his hands when he ought to have exerted 
them. And blood does not come off so easily. He 
could not abnegate his responsibility and cast it upon 
others. Public men frequently think they can do so; 
they say that they bow to the force of public opinion, 
but wash their hands of the deed. But if their position 
like Pilate’s demands that they should decide for them- 
selves and take the consequences, the guilt of sinful 
action clings to them and cannot be transferred. This 
whole scene, indeed, is a mirror for magistrates, to 
show them down what dark paths they may be pushed 
if they resign themselves to be the mere tools of the 
popular will. — James Stalker, The Trial and Death of 
Jesus Christ, p. 87. 

The plea of Pilate 9 s wife. (Mt. 27:19.) This in- 
cident has taken a strong hold of the Christian imagi- 
nation and given rise to all kinds of guesses. Tradi- 
tion has handed down the name of Pilate’s wife as 
Claudia Procula ; and it is said that she was a proselyte 
of the Jewish religion; as high-toned heathen ladies in 
that age not infrequently became when circumstances 
brought the Old Testament into their hands. The 
Greek Church has gone so far as to canonise her, sup- 
posing that she became a Christian. Poets and artists 
have tried to reproduce her dream. Many will remem- 
ber the picture of it in the Dore Gallery in London. 
The dreaming woman is represented standing in a 
balcony and looking up an ascending valley, which is 
crowded with figures. It is the vale of years or cen- 
turies, and the figures are the generations of the 
Church of Christ yet to be. Immediately in front of 
her is the Saviour himself, bearing his cross ; behind 
and around him are his twelve apostles and the crowds 


258 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


of their converts ; behind these the Church of the early 
centuries, with the great fathers, Polycarp and Ter- 
tullian, Athanasius and Gregory, Chrysostom and 
Augustine; further back the Church of the Middle 
Ages, with the majestic forms and warlike accoutre- 
ments of the Crusaders rising from its midst; behind 
these the Church of modern times, with its heroes; 
then multitudes upon multitudes that no man can num- 
ber pressing forward in broadening ranks, till far 
aloft, in the white and shining heavens, lo, tier on tier 
and circle upon circle, with the angels of God hovering 
above them and on their flanks ; and in the midst, trans- 
figured to the brightness of a star, the cross, which in 
its rough reality he is bearing wearily below. 

Of course these are but fancies. In the woman’s 
anxiety that no evil should befall the innocent we may, 
with greater certainty, trace the vestiges of the ancient 
Roman justice as it may have dwelt in the noble ma- 
trons, like Yolumnia and Cornelia, whose names adorn 
the pristine annals of her race; while the wife’s solici- 
tude to save her husband from a deed of sin associates 
her with the still nobler women of all ages who have 
walked like guardian angels by the side of men im- 
mersed in the world and liable to be coarsened by its 
contact, to warn them of the higher laws and the un- 
seen powers. — James Stalker, The Trial and Death 
of Jesus Christ, p. 80-81. 

The second trial before Pilate. (Mt. 27:15-31; Lk. 
23:13-16; Jn. 19:4-16.) His second attempt to save 
Jesus from death was more unjust and as futile as the 
first. He scourged the prisoner whose innocence he 
had himself declared, probably under the impression 
that the Jews might be satisfied when they saw Jesus 
bleeding and fainting from the scourge. But the peo- 


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259 


pie were infuriated by the sight of the innocent, un- 
murmuring sutler er whom they had thus mangled. 
They could not bear that such an object be left to re- 
mind them of their barbarity, and with one tierce yell 
of fury they cried, 4 1 Crucify him. ’ 9 

A third time Pilate refused to be the instrument of 
their inhuman and unjust rage, and flung the prisoner 
on their hands. But when the Jews answered that by 
their law he ought to die, because “He made himself 
the Son of God,” Pilate was again seized with dread, 
and withdrew his prisoner for the fourth time into the 
palace. 

When he reappeared the J ews played their last card 
and played it successfully. ‘ 4 If thou release this man, 
thou art not Caesar ’s friend. ’ 9 To lay himself open to a 
charge of treason or neglect of the interests of Caesar 
was what Pilate could not risk. At once his compas- 
sion for the prisoner, his sense of justice, his appre- 
hensions, his proud unwillingness to let the J ews have 
their way, were overcome by his fear of being re- 
ported to the most suspicious of emperors. He pre- 
pared to give his judgment, and took his place on the 
official seat. Here, after venting his spleen in the weak 
sarcasm, “Shall I crucify your l£ing?” he formally 
handed over his prisoner to be crucified. — Dods, 
Expos. Bible, John, vol. ii, pp. 305-310. 

The scourging. (Mt. 27 :24-30.) Pilate seems to 
have hoped that the horrors of the scourging might 
still move the people to desist from the ferocious cry 
for the cross. The scourging ended, the soldiery would 
hastily cast upon him his upper garments, and lead 
him back into the praetorium. Here they called the 
whole cohort together, and the silent, faint sufferer 
became the object of their ribald jesting. From his 


260 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


bleeding body they tore the clothes, and in mockery ar- 
rayed him in scarlet or purple. For crown they wound 
together thorns, and for sceptre they placed in his hand 
a reed. Then alternately, in mock proclamation they 
hailed him king, or worshipped him as God, and smote 
him or heaped on him other indignities. Such a spec- 
tacle might well have disarmed enmity, and forever 
allayed worldly fears. And so Pilate had hoped. — 
Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus, vol. ii, p. 579. 

“We have no king but Caesar.” (Jn. 19:15.) With 
this cry Judaism was, in the person of its representa- 
tives, guilty of denial of God, of blasphemy, of apos- 
tasy. It committed suicide ; and, ever since has its dead 
body been carried in show from land to land, and from 
century to century; to be dead, and to remain dead, 
till he come a second time, who is the resurrection and 
the life! — Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus, vol. 
ii, p. 581. 

The verdict on a technical plea of guilty. The 
Mosaic law was careful that the evidences of guilt in 
capital cases should be abundant. “At the mouth of 
two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to 
die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he 
shall not be put to death. The hand of the witness shall 
be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward 
the hand of all the people” (Deut. 17:6, 7). In like 
manner Paul declared (II Cor. 13:1), “At the mouth 
of two witnesses or three shall every word be estab- 
lished.” It appears from the Gospels that, while sev- 
eral false witnesses were called, the testimony of no 
two agreed. In other words, there was not that con- 
currence which authorized a verdict of guilty. While, 
as Mark says (14:58), witnesses testified that Christ 
declared, “I will destroy this temple that is made with 


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261 


hands, and in three days I will bnild another made 
without hands/ ’ yet even in this their testimony did 
not agree. In this extremity the high priest appealed 
to Christ, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the 
Blessed !” Christ answered, “I am; and ye shall see 
the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and 
coming with the clouds of heaven.’ ’ Thereupon the 
high priest rent his clothes, and said, “What further 
need have we of witnesses! Ye have heard the blas- 
phemy,” and they all “condemned him to be worthy of 
death. ’ ’ 

This judgment rested upon what might be called a 
plea of guilty. True, Matthew and Luke do not put 
in the mouth of Christ a distinct affirmation that he was 
the Son of God, but words which only imply a recog- 
nition of the charge, Matthew saying that his reply to 
the inquiry of the high priest was, “Thou hast said.” 
Still, it is not unreasonable to conclude from the rec- 
ords that he made a positive assertion of his divinity, 
and indeed we know that he had frequently theretofore 
made that claim. 

Now, by our modern law a plea of guilty is generally 
accepted, and avoids the necessity of testimony. But 
by the Mosaic law such a plea was not recognized as 
sufficient. The accused could not thus give away or 
prejudice his case. The testimony of two concurring 
witnesses was still required, because one of them was 
to cast the first stone. — Hon. David J. Brewer, Justice 
of the United States Supreme Court, in S. S. Times. 

Was the trial of Jesus legal ? If the Talmudic law 
was in force in Palestine during the lifetime of Jesus, 
there would be no course open but to agree with some 
savants of last century that the Sanhedrin acted il- 
legally. But the Talmud represents a much later phase 


262 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


of Jewish jurisprudence, and it is probable that, viewed 
in the light of contemporary practice, the council were 
careful on the whole to observe the letter, though not 
the spirit of justice, and to practice most of the forms 
of legality. The main counts against them are the neg- 
lect to warn the witnesses solemnly before giving evi- 
dence, the judicial use of the prisoner’s confession, and 
the undue haste with which the proceedings were 
rushed through. They were kept within judicial limits 
only so far as it was necessary to save appearances. 

The proceedings before Pilate are less obscure. It 
was necessary for the Jewish authorities to obtain the 
governor’s sanction for the execution of the death 
sentence, and this involved a fresh trial of the accused. 
Pilate sems to have acquitted Jesus of the majestas or 
high treason which the council first brought forward 
against him, but there is some doubt as to whether 
Jesus was finally acquitted, if he was acquitted at all, 
until he had been sent back from Herod. Thereafter 
the proceedings are destitute of justice; Pilate is con- 
cerned not with his legal duty, but with the interests 
of his personal safety and popularity which were en- 
dangered by his conscientious desire to release the pris- 
oner.— Hastings, Diet, of Christ, vol. ii, pp. 749, 750. 

THE SORROWFUL WAY. 

They took Jesus therefore: and he went out, bearing the 
cross for himself. 

And as they came out, they laid hold upon one Simon 
of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, who. was 
passing by, coming from the country; him they compelled 
to go with them, and laid on him the cross, that he might 
bear it after Jesus. 

And there followed him a great multitude of the people, 
and of women who bewailed and lamented him. 

But Jesus turning unto them said, “Daughters of Jerusa- 
lem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for 


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263 


your children. For behold, the days are coming, in which 
they shall say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that 
never bare, and the breasts that never gave suck/ Then 
shall they begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’ ; and 
to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things in the 
green tree, what shall be done in the dry?” 

And there were also two others, malefactors, led with 
him to be put to death. (His Last Week, pp. 50-51; Mt. 
27:31-32; Mk. 15:20-21; Lk. 23:26-32; Jn. 19:17.) 

* Via Dolorosa . The Sorrowful Way begins near St. 
Stephen’s Gate, and runs westward along the main 
thoroughfare of that gate from the Turkish barracks 
that occupy the site of the Castle of Antonia, and ends 
near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It makes one 
sharp angle southward where the street from St. 
Stephen’s Gate meets the diagonal way from the 
Damascus Gate, and then continues westward again to 
the church. Along this way, according to tradition. 
Jesus bore his cross. If, however, Calvary was located 
outside the present walls, it is probable that the turn 
should be made toward, and not away from, the Damas- 
cus Gate. Along the Way are tablets marking the 
Fourteen Stations of the Cross. 

Stations of the Cross. The fourteen stations of the 
cross attempt to locate the several places where in suc- 
cession Jesus met his sufferings. The first three are 
located in the Turkish barracks which occupy the sup- 
posed site of Pilate’s Judgment Hall, and the last five 
are in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The places 
they attempt to identify are : 

1. Where Christ stood before Pilate. 

2. Where the cross was laid on Jesus. 

3. The Ecce Homo Arch. 

4. Where Jesus met his mother. 

5. Where Jesus fell, and Simon the Cyrenian took 

the cross. 


264 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


6. House of Veronica. 

7. Porta Judiciaria, or gate where Jesus left the 

city. 

8. Where Jesus addressed the women of Jerusa- 

lem. 

9. Where Jesus fell a second time. 

10. Where Jesus was disrobed. 

11. Where Jesus was nailed to the cross. 

12. Where the cross was elevated. 

13. Scene of descent from the cross. 

14. The Holy Sepulchre. 

Pictures of these incidents are hung on the walls of 
many Roman Catholic churches, and religious pil- 
grimages from one to another constitute among them 
one form of celebrating the Lord’s passion. 

He went out bearing his cross . ( Jn. 19 :17.) Accord- 
ing to usage, the prisoner carrried his own cross, but 
Jesus, worn out by his night-watch of agony, by the 
long examinations he had undergone, by the cruel treat- 
ment and outrage he had received, fainted under the 
burden. The Roman soldiers, who, regarding Judaea 
as a conquered country, did not hestitate at any time 
to demand onerous services of its inhabitants, stopped 
on his way a certain Simon, of Cyrene, coming out of 
the country; him they compelled to bear the cross of 
Christ, little dreaming that they were conferring on 
him the highest of all honors, for what glory can be 
compared with that of sharing such reproach ? 

Just as the procession reached the fatal spot, the 
crowd opened, and Jesus saw close beside him the 
group of pious women who had been following. Their 
tears flowed as they beheld the preparations for death. 
Jesus alone rose above all these things. He would die 
as he had lived, forgetful of self ; that over which he 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


265 


wept in this bitter hour was the woe of the unhappy 
city which had rejected him. — Pressense, Jesus Christ, 
pp. 469, 470. 


THE CRUCIFIXION. 

And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, 
that is to say, being interpreted, The place of a skull, they 
gave him wine to drink mingled with gall: and when he 
had tasted it, he would not drink. 

There they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on 
the right hand and the other on the left. 

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know 
not what they do. ,, 

And Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross. 
And there was written: 

Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. 

This title therefore read many of the Jews, for the place 
where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city; and it was 
written in Hebrew, and in Latin, and in Greek. 

The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, 
“Write not, ‘The King of the Jews/ but that he said, ‘I 
am King of the Jews/ ” 

Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 

The soldiers therefore, when they had crucified Jesus, 
took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier 
a part; and also the coat: now the coat was without seam, 
woven from the top throughout. They said therefore one 
to another, “Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose 
it shall be”: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which 
saith, 

“They parted my garments among them, 

And upon my vesture did they cast lots.” 

These things therefore the soldiers did, casting lots 
upon them, what each should take: and they sat and 
watched him there. 

And the people stood beholding. 

And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their 
heads, and saying, “Thou that destroyest the temple, and 
buildest it in three days, save thyself: if thou art the Son 
o,f God, come down from the cross.” 

In like manner also, the chief priests mocking him, with 
the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; himself he 
cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come 


266 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


down from the cross, that we may see and believe. He 
trusteth on God; let him deliver him now, if he desireth 
him : for he said, I am the Son of God.” 

And one of the malefactors that were hanged railed on 
him, saying, “Art not thou the Christ? Save thyself and 
us.” 

But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Dost 
thou not even fear God, seeing thou art in the same con- 
demnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the 
due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing 
amiss.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when thou 
comest in thy kingdom.” 

And he said unto him, “Verily I say unto thee, Today 
shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” 

But there were standing by the cross of Jesus his mother, 
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary 
Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and 
the disciple standing by whom he loved, he saith unto his 
mother, “Woman, behold thy son!” 

Then saith he to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” 

And from that hour the disciple took her unto his own 
home. 

And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness 
over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth 
hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama 
sabachthani ?” which is, being interpreted, “My God, my 
God, why hast thou forsaken me?” 

And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, 
said, “Behold, he calleth Elijah.” 

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things are now finished, 
that the scripture might be accomplished, saith, “I thirst.” 

There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they 
put a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop, and brought 
it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the 
vinegar, he said, “It is finished.” 

And Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into 
thy hands I commend my spirit,” and having said this, he 
gave up the ghost. 

And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two 
from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and 
the rocks were rent; and the tombs were opened; and many 
bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised; 
and coming forth out of the tombs after his resurrection 
they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many. 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


267 


Now the centurion, and they that were with him watch- 
ing Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things 
that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, “Truly this 
was the Son of God.” 

And all the multitudes that came together to this sight, 
when they beheld the things that were done, returned smit- 
ing their breasts. And many women were there beholding 
from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering 
unto him; among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary 
the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons 
of Zebedee. 

The Jews therefore, because it was the Preparation, that 
the bodies should not remain on the cross upon the sabbath 
(for the day of that sabbath was a high day), asked of Pilate 
that their legs might be broken, and that they might be 
taken away. 

The soldiers therefore came, and brake the legs of the 
first, and of the other that was crucified with him: but 
when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead al- 
ready, they brake not his legs; howbeit one of the soldiers 
with a spear pierced his side, and straightway there came 
out blood and water. And he that hath seen hath borne 
witness, and his witness is true: and he knoweth that he 
saith true, that ye also may believe. For these things came 
to pass, that the scripture might be fulfilled, “A bone of 
him shall not be broken.” And again another scripture 
saith, “They shall look on him whom they pierced.” (His 
Last Week, pp. 51-54; Mt. 33:31-56; Mk. 15:22-41; Lk. 
23:33-49; Jn. 19:18-30.) 

A place called Golgotha . (Mt. 27 :33.) Golgotha, or 
in Latin from Calvary, “a skull.” The name may 
have been given because it was a well-known place of 
execution ; or possibly the place was a rounded, skull- 
like elevation. The Gospels merely call it “a place” 
and do not speak of it as a hill, though it probably was 
a somewhat conspicuous elevation. All we know of_ 
Golgotha is that it was a place outside the city gates, 
and at some point not far remote from the city and 
near the roads. 

The time of the crucifixion. (Mt. 27 :33-44.) In re- 


268 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


gard to the hour of the crucifixion, the narratives are 
not at one. The oldest Gospel says it was the third 
hour. John says it was about the sixth hour when 
Pilate sat on the judgment seat and gave sentence. It 
is not probable that any one was particular to observe 
the exact time of the execution, if indeed those inter- 
ested had any means of accurate observation. 

The witnesses of the crucifixion. Now since John 
was present at the crucifixion (Jn. 19:26, 27), it is not 
impossible that he also saw the burial, though his pres- 
ence is not mentioned. There is no indication that any 
other one of the apostles was present at the crucifixion. 
They fled at the time of the arrest of Jesus (Mk. 14 :50), 
and with the exception of Peter, do not appear again 
on the scene till after the the resurrection. More- 
over, as John was acquainted with the high priest, 
it is easy to suppose that he might learn what had 
been done by members of the Sanhedrin, even if he 
had no personal knowledge of the circumstances of 
the burial. Further, it is intrinsically probable that 
friends of Jesus, like Joseph and Nicodemus, em- 
balmed the body of their Master, even if the Sab- 
bath was just drawing on. They could scarcely have 
entertained the thought of leaving the embalmment 
two nights and a day until the Sabbath should be 
past. Therefore we accept John's narrative of the 
burial, and hold that the women did not know what 
had been done by Joseph and Nicodemus. — George 
Holley Gilbert, Student's Life of Jesus, p. 315. 

The mother at the cross. It is terrible for a moth- 
er to see her son die. The lot is common and no com- 
mon hand can wipe away a mother's tears. But this 
death united in itself all forms of known atrocity. 
It seems as though death by crucifixion had been 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


269 


devised and adapted to inflict the maximum of pain, 
shame, horror, and fear which human nature can en- 
dure. Such descriptions as I have read fill my soul 
with anguish, and I will not torture you with their re- 
cital. But this frightful death was hut the climax 
of a long series of outrages, from the sight of which 
one turns away in pain unspeakable. I think of the 
mock tribunals, the perjured witnesses, the savage 
blow, the cruel scourging, the crown of thorns; I 
think of the raging hatred that burst forth against 
him, the gentlest and most lovable that earth has 
seen — and Mary stood beside the cross! — Charles F. 
Aked, The Courage of the Coward, pp. 119-0. 

It was written in Hebrew , and in Latin and 
Greek . (Jn. 19:20.) The Gospels vary slightly in 
their wording of the inscription on the cross. Some 
interpreters have sought to harmonize these incon- 
sequential variations by assuming that the title 
varied slightly in the three languages in which it 
was written. This would seem a needless striving 
for mere verbal agreement. If, however, this be ac- 
cepted as the explanation, the title on the cross may 
have read somewhat as follows: 


DH'irrn *£o '"wn VW 

Out os caTiv It jtrovs o paffiAevs ruv lovSaiwy. 
Rex Judseorum. 


The letters “L N. R. I.” displayed above the cross 
in paintings of the crucifixion stand for the Latin 
reading, “IESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDAE- 
ORUM.” 



270 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


The Church of Santa Croce in Rome contains a tab- 
let of wood much decayed and nearly illegible, which 
Helena is said to have brought from Jerusalem as that 
containing the threefold inscription. 

The three languages were made necessary by the 
three civilizations which met at the foot of the cross. 
Like three tributary streams converging into one, the 
civilizations of the old world gave their best to make 
possible the origin and spread of the faith that came in 
the fulness of time. To the Hebrew people it owed its 
origin ; and its spread was immensely facilitated by the 
unification of the world in the Roman government, and 
the permeation of the whole empire by the Greek lan- 
guage and literature. 

And they sat and watched him there. (Matt. 27:36.) 
They did not hate him ; they were merely indifferent. 
The indifference of the soldiers was less culpable, but 
not less terrible than the hatred of the scribes. The 
tragedy of religious indifference is terrible. 

Wine mingled with gall. (Mt. 27 :34.) We are glad 
for the glimpse of human kindness which is shown in 
the draft of opiate which was offered to the Lord. 
There was a society of charitable ladies in Jerusalem 
who were accustomed to prepare this potion for the 
purpose of dulling the terrible pain of crucifixion of 
criminals; all honor to them! But upon the human 
side almost everything else is dark. Humanity is at 
its worst. Prejudice, intrigue, hate, cruelty surround 
the cross. Jesus would not take the opiate, not be- 
cause he desired to suffer, but because he desired to 
keep his mind clear to the last that even in death he 
might manifest the love of God to the world. To the 
end he remained the gracious, self-forgetful Saviour. 
At the foot of the cross the thoughtless soldiers were 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


271 


gambling for the long, seamless tunic which perhaps 
Mary his mother had woven for him with her own 
hands. — J. Edgar Park in Pilgrim Teacher. 

The seven words. The seven recorded utterances of 
Jesus on the Cross have always been treasured by the 
Church. They are: 

1. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what 
they do.” (Lk. 23:24.) 

This was a prayer for the soldiers ; and was uttered 
as they were nailing him to the Cross. 

2. “Verily, I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with 
me in paradise. ’ ’ (Lk. 23 :43.) 

This was addressed to the penitent robber. 

3. “Woman, behold thy son!” “Behold thy 
mother.” (Jn. 19:26, 27.) 

These words were addressed to his mother and to 
the apostle John. 

4. “My God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken 
me?” ( Mt. 27 :46 ; Mk. 15 :34. ) 

This cry, a quotation from Psalm 22 :1, was uttered 
in the midst of his agony, “at the ninth hour.” 

5. “I thirst.” (Jn. 19:28.) 

6. “ It is finished. ” (Jn. 19:30.) 

7. “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” 
(Lk. 23:46.) 

The height of the cross. The shape of the cross used 
is unknown, but the fact that the superscription was 
placed above Jesus favors the so-called crux imwdssa, 
which is the traditional form of the cross (Mt. 27 :37). 
A suggestion as to the height of the cross is found in 
the circumstance that the man who offered Jesus the 
sponge filled with vinegar, first attached the sponge to 
a reed (Mk. 15:36; Mt. 27:48). Manifestly he could 


272 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


not reach the lips of Jesns without this aid. — George 
Holley Gilbert, Student’s Life of Jesus, p. 299. 

Crucifixion . (Mt. 27 :35.) He was led, bearing his 
own cross, or rather part of it, to which he was bound, 
along the public roads to an eminence outside the city 
gates. In front of him went a herald bearing a tablet 
of condemnation, or he himself carried the “accusa- 
tion” suspended by a cord from his neck. On arrival 
fore or after the arrival of the condemned, the upright 
at the place of execution the person to be crucified was 
stripped of his clothing and laid on the ground upon 
his back. The cross-beam was then thrust under his 
head, and his arms were stretched out across it to the 
right and left and perhaps bound to the wood, the hand 
being fastened by means of a long nail. Already, be- 
stake had been firmly fastened in the ground. 

The cross-beam was then, with the help of ropes and 
perhaps of some other simple contrivance, raised to 
its place on the stake. Here it was hung provisionally, 
by a rope attached to its ends, on a firm nail or notch, 
whilst the body was placed astride the lower peg in the 
stake, and the legs bound. The beams were then prob- 
ably bound and nailed together at the point of inter- 
section. Nails like those already used for the hands 
would be employed to fix the feet, which were only 
slightly elevated above the ground. The nails were 
driven through each foot, either in front through the 
instep and sole, or at the side. The body remained on 
the cross until it decayed, or until it was given up to 
the friends of the condemned for burial. Soldiers were 
set to watch the crucified. Death resulted from hun- 
ger, exhaustion and pain. To alleviate the latter the 
J ews offered the victim a stupefying draft. Breaking 
of the legs was a distinct form of punishment among 
the Romans. — Encyc, Biblica, vol. i, cols. 958, 959. 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


273 


The cross . (Mt. 27 :35.) The four-armed cross in 
use at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus was most 
probably of the following description. It consisted of 
two pieces— an upright stake, which was firmly fixed 
in the ground with pegs or fastened to the stump of a 
tree, and a cross-beam, which was carried by the con- 
demned to the place of execution. High up in the up- 
right stake an indentation was probably made in which 
to fasten with cord and perhaps also to nail the cross- 
beam. At a suitable height from the ground was fixed 
a peg on which to set the body astride, so that the whole 
weight might not rest upon the hands and arms. This, 
together with the fastenings, made a rest for the feet 
unnecessary. — Encyc. Biblica, vol. i, col. 958. 

The physical cause of the death of Jesus. Did Jesus 
die, literally, of a broken heart ? 

In 1847 there appeared a work by an English physi- 
cian, Dr. Stroud, who attempted to prove, on the evi- 
dence of the bloody sweat in Gethsemane, and the sepa- 
ration of the serum from the clot as described by J ohn 
as the issue of “ water and blood’ ’ from the spear- 
thrust, that Jesus died of a rupture of the heart. This 
view has been contested by many scholars, but is still 
held by a great number, both of physicians and other 
authorities. An extended article opposing this view 
is found in the Bibliotheca Sacra for 1905. 

There was darkness . (Mt. 27:45.) Matthew, Mark 
and Luke all state that there was darkness from twelve 
to three o’clock. For this darkness no natural cause 
can be ascribed. Whatever explanation may be given 
of the cause of the phenomenon, it certainly could not 
have been due to an eclipse of the sun, as it was the 
time of the Paschal full moon. Some suggest a sand- 


274 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


storm or the darkness preceding an earthquake ; others 
assign it to purely supernatural causes. We do not 
know. 

The darkness . The Synoptists agree in reporting 
an uncommon darkness which was over the land from 
about noon till about three o’clock (Mk. 15:33; Mt. 
27 :45 ; Lk. 23 :44, 45). The statement is that this dark- 
ness covered all the land, by which is probably meant 
all the region around Jerusalem, far and wide. There 
is no indication that the evangelists regarded the 
darkness as a miraculous event. Yet it could not have 
been an eclipse of the sun, for the Passover came at the 
time of the full moon. Luke’s statement that the sun’s 
light failed does not require us to suppose that he 
thought of an eclipse. We are probably to think of an 
exceptional darkness caused by thick clouds, providen- 
tial, but not miraculous. — George Holley Gilbert, Stu- 
dent’s Life of Jesus, p. 304. 

The passion flower. The passion flower, when found 
by the Spaniards in Mexico, was hailed with adoration, 
since it was thought to display within itself all the in- 
struments of the Passion — the crown, the scourge, the 
spear, and the nails. There are other flowers which, 
fable says, were growing at the foot of the cross, and 
were stained with drops of our Lord’s blood; such 
as the purple orchis, the arum, the wood sorrel, and the 
tiger-lily. The scarlet anemone that blooms at Pas- 
sion-tide is called in Palestine “blood-drops of Christ .’ 9 

The vail of the temple was rent in tivain. (Mt. 27: 
51). This incident is recorded by Matthew, who shows 
particular interest in the relations of the work of Jesus 
to the Old Testament. The vail that was rent was the 
curtain that separated the Holy place from the Holy 
of holies. The rending was symbolic of the fact that 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


275 


the old mystery surrounding Israel’s God had van- 
ished ; the age of types had passed ; the Holy of holies 
was opened to every believer. No longer is the wor- 
shiper shut out from God. Henceforth all believes on 
a holy priesthood. 

“Into thine hand I commend my spirit (Ps. 31 :5.) 
These were the last words spoken by our Lord before 
his death. He was mighty in the Scriptures. He 
loved the Psalms. The rich devotional spirit of the 
great poets of his race was kindred with his own. 
Alike in controversy and in prayer, their words were 
ever upon his lips. Living, they were to him an in- 
spiration ; dying, his last utterance was quoted from a 
Psalm. For millions of men, the Book of Psalms has 
been hallowed by the fondness of Jesus for it. — Charles 
F. Aked, The Courage of the Coward, p. 83. 

The death of Jesus . Jesus expired after he had 
been on the cross only about three hours. It was usual 
for the sufferings of a crucified one to last much longer 
than this. Pilate was surprised when he heard, to- 
ward evening, that Jesus was already dead, and seemed 
scarcely willing to believe it until he had called the 
centurion and inquired of him (Mk. 15:44). Accord- 
ing to John 19:31, Pilate gave permission during the 
afternoon that the legs of the crucified one should be 
broken, that death might thus be hastened, and that 
the bodies might be taken away before the beginning 
of the Sabbath. We may suppose that he gave this 
permission shortly before Joseph of Arimathea told 
him that Jesus was dead. — George Holley Gilbert, Stu- 
dent’s Life of Jesus, p. 307. 

“It is finished ” (Jn. 19:30.) To understand what 
Jesus meant by this cry, “It is finished,” one would 
need to have heard it. Much depends on the tone and 


276 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


accent of a sufferer’s words. But for the interpreta- 
tion of this message from the cross more is required 
even than to have heard it. No Roman soldier, no 
watching scribe, not even a penitent thief, or the devout 
women, understood in any measure what Jesus had in 
his heart. Not even John, when he first heard it, 
grasped its significances. In later years, when he 
wrote this Gospel, he learned something of what the 
cry meant to him, who saw 4 4 of the travail of the soul 
and was satisfied.” In later years, when John’s feet 
had traveled far from Jerusalem, and he had seen with 
enlightened eyes what the Cross of Christ could do 
for men, he understood more clearly the tumult of feel- 
ing that rang through the loud cry, 4 4 It is finished.” 
Yet John could not enter into it as we do now. And 
the centuries have yet to come which will fully reveal 
its meaning. — W. M. Clow, The Cross in Christian Ex- 
perience, p. 127. 

The side of Jesus pierced. (Jn. 19:31-37.) Medical 
men and scholars have largely discussed the causes 
which might produce the outflow of blood and water 
which John affirms followed this spear thrust, and 
various causes have been assigned. But it is a point 
which has apparently only physiological interest. 
J ohn indeed follows up his statement of what he saw 
with an unusually strong asseveration that what he 
says is true. . . . This strong asseveration is in- 

troduced, not for the sake of persuading us to believe 
that water as well as blood flowed from the lance 
wound, but for the sake of certifying the actual death 
of Jesus. The soldiers who had charge of the execu- 
tion discharged their duty. They made sure that the 
crucified was actually dead. And John’s reason for 
insisting on this and appending to his statement so 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


277 


unusual a confirmation is sufficiently obvious. He was 
about to relate the resurrection, and he knows that a 
true resurrection must be preceded by a real death. 
If he has no means of establishing the actual death, 
he has no means of establishing the resurrection. And 
therefore for the first and only time in his narrative he 
departs from simple narration, and most solemnly as- 
severates that he is speaking the truth and was an eye- 
witness of the things he relates. — Dods, Expos. Bible, 
J ohn, vol. ii, pp. 338, 339. 

The cross as an instrument of punishment. Con- 
sidered by the Christian, the cross has two mean- 
ings, that of its use as an instrument of torture, the 
cross of history, and that of its use as an emblem, the 
cross of Christian art. 

As an instrument of torture, the cross was of sev- 
eral patterns. First and simplest was the simple crux, 
a mere stake upon which the criminal was either nailed 
or impaled. To this upright stake a transverse beam 
was sometimes added, running straight across the top 
like a letter T, called from its resemblance to that letter 
in the Greek the Tau cross. This cross-piece was some- 
times nailed to two uprights, and the whole was named 
from the cross-piece, the patibulum. When the cross- 
piece was fastened at right angles and below the top of 
the upright, it was called the crux imissa. When the 
four arms were of equal length and joined in the mid- 
dle, making the Greek Cross, or Cross of St. Andrew, it 
was called the crux commissa. And when the two 
arms crossed obliquely, making a letter X, it was called 
the crux decussata. There was also the Y cross, which 
was simply the fork of a tree. 

Doubtless these various forms were frequently seen 
in the vicinity of Jerusalem. 


278 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


The cross as an emblem . Most of the forms of the 
cross used in punishment, and many others, are used 
in art. The crux imissa is the common Latin cross, 
on which it is commonly believed Christ was crucified, 
with the tablet or inscription in three languages above 
his head. The crux commissa is the Greek cross, or the 
cross of Saint Anthony. The crux decussata is known 
to us as the cross of St. Andrew. The Y cross also has 
sometimes been used, and curiously, as a tree; and 
there are middle age pictures of Christ crucified upon 
the Tree of Life. 

For some time after the Reformation there was a 
pronounced tendency among Protestants to abandon 
the use of the cross as an emblem. This was a not un- 
natural reaction, but the time for it is now generally 
recognized as past. The cross is the emblem, not of 
any one sect, but of all Christendom, and belongs as 
fully to the Protestant as to the Roman Catholic. 

Contrary to popular supposition, the cross was not 
the earliest of Christian emblems ; that, probably, was 
the fish. Nor was Christianity the only religion that 
used the cross. It was in use as an emblem by several 
cults, and had various mystic meanings. The Spanish 
conquerors of America were amazed to find the emblem 
of their own faith in use among some of the Indian 
tribes. 

Another interesting fact is that when the cross was 
first used in Christian art, it had a very remote relation 
to the actual uses of that instrument for crucifixion. 
The resurrection, not the crucifixion, was the great 
doctrine of the early church. When the cross first 
appears, it is not as a memorial of the dead Christ, but 
as a confession of faith in the living Christ. It was the 
initial in Greek of the name of Christ, the letter X or 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


279 


Chi. which first determined the use of the cross in 
Christian art. Very often it was with the letters 
Alpha and Omega on either side, Christ the first and 
last, a symbol still frequently seen and used. 

It was Constantine, who, in 333 A. D., made the 
cross a popular emblem. He saw a vision of the cross 
in the heavens, with the legend “ In Hoc Signo Vinces,” 
“By this sign you shall conquer.” 

The Passion of our Lord, as a theme in Christian 
art, may almost be said to date from the Council of 
Constantinople, 692. None of the early crosses rep- 
resent Christ as suffering upon them. Not a single 
picture of a haggard or tortured Saviour appears, so 
far as we know, in early Christian art. In 586 we have 
the first assured picture of the crucifixion, and this j 
was exceptional, in a manuscript of the Gospels in 
Syriac, preserved in the Laurentian Library in Flor- 
ence. A picture of Christ upon the cross would have 
horrified the early Christians. When it became at all 
common to depict Christ upon the cross, he was not 
nailed to it. Either he appeared above it, or he was 
placed painlessly upon it, not nailed nor suffering, but 
looking benignly down, with the cross behind him. 

Such pictures we have, as late as the eighth century, 
of a living Christ, looking down from a cross with no 
sign of pain or suggestion of wound. It was a sad day 
for Christianity when men counted it a religious duty 
to do all imaginable violence to the picture of the 
Christ, and for the joyous, triumphant figure so com-- 
mon in the early Church, that of the Good Shepherd 
bringing home with rejoicing the sheep that had been 
lost, substituted the weak and helpless Christ, agonized 
and bleeding, helpless in the hands of his enemies. 

With the vision of Constantine the cross became the 


280 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


emblem of the church. It was not, however, the Latin 
cross, but the Chrisma symbol, the initials of Christ, 
the Greek letters X, P, Chi. Rho. 

This early form of the cross, the Labarum of Con- 
stantine, the handled cross with the ring of the P at 
the top, made easier another adaptation, and a beauti- 
ful one. Christianity grew strong in Egypt. One of 
its chief centers was at Alexandria. Christian schools 
and churches dotted the banks of the Nile for hundreds 
of miles. Egypt had its cross. It was not the cross 
of punishment, but the key of life. For millenniums 
the Egyptians had inscribed all over their monuments 
this crux ansata, the cross with a round handle at the 
top. As the key of life it appears in the hands of the 
innumerable deities of Egypt, and as a confession of 
faith in immortality it is inscribed on papyrus and 
sarcophagus. In Egypt this symbol was adapted to 
the uses of the church. Sometimes the crux ansata 
was borrowed without change, sometimes it appeared 
alternately with the Christian cross, and, when it be- 
came common to represent the Christ upon the cross, 
the round loop at the top was sometimes filled in with 
a head of Christ, and the key of life became the crucifix. 
The use of this symbol was not wholly confined to 
Egypt, but found its way to Rome and appeared some- 
times on the tombs of martyrs with the handle of the 
key transformed to a wreath of immortality. 

But the Chrisma symbol is older than Constantine — 
not, however, as a cross, but as a monogram. We find 
this sign in use in the catacombs from the second cen- 
tury. It may be doubted whether any Christian sym- 
bol is older or more widely disseminated. It was 
probably in popular use before any other form of the 
cross became common. Soon it became common to 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


281 


place on the sides of it in smaller letters the Greek 
Alpha and Omega and the symbol stood complete, 
“Christ the first and the last.” 

This was the cross which Constantine made popular. 
The Labarum, as he called it, displaced the Roman 
eagles and appeared on the banners of the kingdom. 
By this sign he conquered. But while this cross, as a 
symbol of the crucifixion, became popular in his day, it 
was widely known and loved as a symbol of Christ, 
though not of the crucifixion, a century, perhaps two 
centuries, before. 

The Jerusalem cross is another interesting symbol. 
It was that blazoned on the arms of Godfrey de Bouil- 
lon, conqueror of Jerusalem in the Crusades. Godfrey 
would not wear a crown of gold, because his Lord wore 
one of thorns; and his cross, singularly, was not the 
militant banner of Constantine, who adopted the badge 
of defeat as the symbol of victory, but the cross potent, 
the crutch cross, the supporting cross, with each of its 
four arms terminating in a transverse beam. It is the 
symbol of one who trusts for upholding in the virtue 
and power of Christ. Almost all souvenirs of Jerusa- 
lem now bear this cross, quartered with four smaller 
ones. The emblem is held to mean “Christ for the 
four quarters of the world.” 

The illustration reproduced by the courtesy of the 
Catholic Encyclopedia, contains a very wide variety of 
forms of the Cross as employed in the different de- 
partments of Christian art. 1, Latin; 2, Calvary; 3 
and 4, Anchor; 5, Patriarchal; 6, Papal; 7, Patee; 8, 
Maltese; 9, and 19, Moline; 10, 11, 12, Tau; 13 and 28, 
Fylfot; 14, Quarter pierced; 15, Greek; 16, Quarterly 
pierced ; 17, Fleurette ; 18, Patonce ; 21, Engrailed ; 22, 
Ragulee ; 23, Quadrate ; 24, Saltire, or Crux Decussata, 


282 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


also called St. Andrew’s Cross; 25, Botonee; 26, 
Pomee; 27, Potent, otherwise known as the Jerusalem, 
or crutch cross ; 28, Crux Grammata or Swastika ; 29, 
Fourchee; 30, Urdee; 31, Crosslet; 32, Fitchee; 33, 
Recercelee; 34, Pointed; 35, Wavy; 36, Cross of Iona, 
or Celtic Cross ; 37 and 38, Forms from the Catacombs ; 
39 and 40, Monograms of Christ. 



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Legends about the crucifixion. Origen mentions a 
legend of great antiquity to the effect that Golgotha 
was the place where Adam died and that “ Jesus in 
the place where death reigned, set up his trophy . 9 9 

It is said that the two brigands who were crucified 
upon the right and left of Jesus were called Titus and 
Dumachus and that they met the holy family as they 
were departing into Egypt from the face of King 



THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


283 


Herod. Dumachus wanted to plunder from them, but 
Titus would not allow him to do so. He took the baby 
in his arms and said : “0 blessed Child ! if ever a day 
shall come for having mercy on me, then remember me 
and do not forget this day.” 

The discovery and loss of the alleged true cross . Ac- 
cording to tradition, the cross of Christ was discovered 
by Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, and 
deposited in the great church or basilica erected by 
Constantine in 335 A. D., over the alleged true place 
of the Crucifixion. The silence of Eusebius concerning 
this discovery is a serious break in the chain of evi- 
dence for the finding of the cross at all, and the mira- 
cles by which its true character were disclosed rest on 
insufficient evidence. Nevertheless, the cross deposited 
in the Church of the Holy sepulchre was for eight hun- 
dred years the most venerated relic in Christendom. 
Splinters of it were sold from time to time, but a large 
part of the wood remained intact. Laden with gold 
and richest gems, it was carried into battle by the 
Crusaders, and lost to the Saracens in the battle of 
Hattin, July 5, 1187. Not since Israel sorrowed over 
the capture of the Ark of God by the Philistines was 
there more genuine grief over the loss of a sacred relic. 
The Saracens took care that the wood was not re- 
turned, and its ultimate fate is unknown. 

Legends of the tree of the cross. There are many 
curious legends of the tree that became the cross. All 
of them are without authority, but a number are in- 
teresting. It is affirmed in a Greek legend that Adam 
bore out of Eden, as a staff, a branch of the Tree of 
Knowledge — the very branch that bore the fatal apple. 
Reaching the site of Jerusalem in his wanderings, he 
thrust it into the ground, and it took root and grew into 


284 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


a tree, which lasted until our Saviour’s time, when it 
was cut down and fashioned into the cross. Another 
Greek legend tells that Abraham on the bank of the 
Jordan, found a shepherd bewailing his sins. “Son,” 
said the patriarch, 4 4 be comforted. Plant here three 
trees, and tend them carefully. Thus shall your mind 
find solace and relief in useful tasks.” The man 
obeyed, planting a cedar, a cypress, and a pine. In 
forty days they were well grown, each with its separate 
root and branches, but all united in one trunk. This 
triune tree grew till the time of Solomon, when it was 
cut down and split into timbers for the Temple. But 
the workmen found it impossible to cut the beams the 
proper length. So Solomon, divining that the wood 
was destined for some other use, placed the three 
beams upon a pedestal, and bound them together with 
thirty rings of silver. These beams were used in mak- 
ing t-he cross, and the thirty rings were given to Judas 
to reward his treachery. 

The little crosses sold to tourists in Jerusalem are 
commonly of cypress wood, which is said to have been 
the wood of the cross. This tradition, however, is not 
undisputed. The same claim is made for many trees, 
including the mistletoe. This, it is said, was once a 
tall, stout tree, but after it had furnished wood for 
the cross it was accursed, and reduced to the form of 
a weak parasite. According to other legends it was 
the aspen tree that gave the wood, and so the leaves 
of that tree perpetually tremble with remorse and ap- 
prehension. The gypsies say it was the ash tree, and 
yet others the elder and the oak. And still another 
very ancient legend tells that four trees, cedar, palm, 
cypress, and olive, were employed: 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


285 


“To Cedar were his pierced feet nailed sore; 

To beams of sacred Palm, his outstretched hands ; 

A Cypress tree his tortured body bore; 

On Olive wood his kingly title stands.’ ’ 

THE BURIAL. 

And after these things, when even was come, there came 
a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, a councillor of 
honorable estate, a good and righteous man (he had not 
consented to their counsel and deed), who also him- 
self was looking for the Kingdom of God; a disciple 
of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews; and he boldly 
went in unto Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. And 
Pilate marvelled if he were already dead; and calling unto 
him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any 
while dead. And when he learned it of the centurion, he 
granted the corpse to Joseph. 

He came therefore, and took away his body. And there 
came also Nicodemus, he who at the first came to him by 
night, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a 
hundred pounds. So they took the body of Jesus, and 
bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as the custom of the 
Jews is to bury. 

Now in the place where he was crucified there was a 
garden: and in the garden a new tomb that was hewn out 
in the rock, wherein was never man yet laid. There then 
because of the Jews’ Preparation (for the tomb was nigh 
at hand), they laid Jesus: and rolled a stone against the 
door of the tomb. 

And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus 
who had come with him out of Galilee, sitting over against 
the sepulchre, beheld the tomb, and how his body was laid. 
And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. 
(His Last Week, p. 54; Mt. 27:57-61; Mk. 15:42-47; Lk. 
23:50-56; Jn. 19:31-42.) 

The entombment . (Jn. 19:38-42.) We are to think 
of a contracted apartment chiefly if not entirely above 
ground, into which one might enter as into a little 
room. There might be a sarcophagus standing there in 
readiness to receive the body of the owner. J ohn says 


286 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


that the tomb was in “a garden,” using a word fitted 
to describe the suburban pleasure-grounds of a man of 
wealth who might well have a country-seat outside the 
city wall. That the tomb was his private property is. 
however, mentioned only by Matthew. — Cary, The 
Synoptic Gospels, p. 316. 

Joseph of Arimathea. This is the first time that 
Joseph of Arimathea appears on the stage of the 
gospel history; and of his previous life very little is 
known. Even the town from which he derives his ap- 
pellation is not known with certainty. The fact that 
he owned a garden and burying-place in the environs 
of Jerusalem does not necessarily indicate that he was 
a resident there; for pious Jews had all a desire to 
be buried in the precincts of the sacred city; and, in- 
deed, the whole neighborhood is still honeycombed with 
tombs. 

Joseph was a rich man; and this may have availed 
him in his application to Pilate. Those who possess 
wealth or social position or distinguished talents can 
serve Christ in ways which are not accessible to his 
humbler followers. Only, before such gifts can be 
acceptable to him, those to whom they belong must 
count them but loss and dung for his sake. 

J oseph was a councilor. It has been conjectured that 
the council of which he was a member was that of Ari- 
mathea; but the observation that he u had not con- 
sented to the counsel and deed of them,” which ob- 
viously refers to the Sanhedrin, makes it more than 
probable that it was of this august body he was a mem- 
ber. No doubt he absented himself deliberately from 
the meeting at which Jesus was condemned, knowing 
well beforehand that the proceedings would be utterly 
painful and revolting to his feelings. — James Stalker. 


THE STOBY OF FEIDAY 


287 


The belated courage of Nicodemus. Yet this is not 
all. Let us stand for a moment beside the cross. 
Priestly hate and popular fury have done their work. 
Black darkness has settled down upon the hearts of all. 
The soldier’s spear-thrust has been dealt. The Lord 
of Life is dead. Outside the walls of Jerusalem was 
a hideous ravine called Ge Hinnom or Gehenna , which 
the Authorized Version used to translate Hell. It was 
a place where offal was cast, and the carcasses of ani- 
mals, and the bodies of criminals who had been put to 
death and adjudged unworthy of decent burial. It was 
the common cesspool of the city. He was numbered 
with transgressors in his death, and his body would 
have been flung into this foul Gehenna hut for Nico- 
demus and another one. Joseph of Arimathaea, also a 
night-disciple for fear of the J ews, begged from Pilate 
the body of Jesus that he might take it away. With 
him came also Nicodemus, bringing with him myrrh 
and aloes, the linen cloths and spices which Jewish 
burials demand. And the last offices of love and tender- 
ness which men can pay to our frail mortality were dis- 
charged by Joseph and by Nicodemus — who had come 
to him by night ! — Charles F. Aked, The Courage of the 
Coward, p. 16-7. 

The new Calvary. Just north of Jerusalem is a 
green hill, exposing toward the city a rocky front with 
deep caverns, and somewhat resembling a skull. By 
many Christians it seems to supply the essential condi- 
tions for a reproduction of the scenes of the Cruci- 
fixion, and there are not a few scholars who believe 
it to have been the actual site of Calvary. Upon this 
spot a number of notable services have been held by 
American and other tourists, and several prominent 
American ministers have preached there. The place 


288 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


is sometimes called “ Gordon’s Calvary” from the firm 
belief of General Gordon that this was the actual site 
of Calvary. The place should not bear the name of 
any man ; it is Christ ’s Calvary, or no man ’s. The fore- 
most living defender of the authenticity of this spot is 
Selah Merrill, U. S. Consul at Jerusalem. It is this 
place which enables the reverent visitor to make real 
in his imagination the tragedy of the Gospels, and to 
say with a feeling of verisimilitude, 

“ There is a green hill far way 
Without a city wall, 

Where the dear Lord was crucified 
Who died to save us all.” 

Below this hill is a garden, and in the garden a 
rock-hewn tomb. While there is no direct evidence es- 
tablishing the authenticity of this tomb, it gives to the 
visitor a startling suggestion of reality. 

The Holy Sepulchre . Although the facts of the cruci- 
fixion and of the interment of the body of Christ in the 
tomb of Joseph of Arimathea are related in the New 
Testament with considerable detail, sufficient indica- 
tions are not supplied to locate the actual position of 
the tomb with reference to the city of Jerusalem. It 
would appear that Golgotha, the place of crucifixion, 
was outside the city, near a public thoroughfare lead- 
ing to one of the gates, and visible from some distance. 
There is, however, no reason for supposing that it was 
a hill, and the expression “ Mount Golgotha” was not 
used until some centuries later. Adjoining the place 
Golgotha was a garden, in which was a new rock-cut 
tomb, the property of Joseph of Arimathea. Rock-cut 
tombs were common in the vicinity of Jerusalem, as, in 
consequence of the geological formation, the faces of the 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


289 


hills are frequently broken by low cliffs with terraces 
between. The comparatively level terraces were used 
for cultivation while the tombs were excavated in the 
rock faces. Many instances of tombs so situated can 
be seen on the hillsides near Jerusalem, and it is not 
unreasonable to suppose that the tomb of Joseph was 
of a similar character. As it was outside the city, the 
question of the validity of the traditional site, upon 
which the church of the Holy Sepulchre now stands, 
necessarily depends, to a great extent, upon whether 
this place was within or without the walls at the date 
of the crucifixion. At that time, it is clear, judging 
from the careful description written by Josephus a 
few years later, that Jerusalem was defended by two 
walls, as the third wall was not begun by King Herod 
Agrippa until A. D. 41. Of these, the first, or old 
wall, ran from the palace of Herod the Great, which 
was situated at the N. W. corner of the city, and, fol- 
lowing an easterly direction, crossed the Tyropoeon 
Valley and terminated at the west wall of the Temple 
enclosure. On the other hand, going south from Her- 
od ’s palace, it encircled the city on the west and south, 
and then turning at Siloam it followed the direction 
of the Kidron Valley and ended at the east wall of 
the Temple enclosure. 

The second wall, which was built at some period 
between the return of the Jews from Babylon and the 
reign of Herod the Great, was on the north, and in 
front of the old wall. According to Josephus, it start- 
ed “from the Gate Genath in the first wall, and, en- 
closing only the northern quarter of the city, went up 
to the fortress of Antonia.” The site of the Antonia, 
which was situated on the rising ground north of the 
Temple, is known with tolerable certainty, but the po- 


290 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


sition of the Gate Genath has not been fixed, and, as no 
certain traces of the second wall have hitherto been 
found, the line it followed is purely a matter of con- 
jecture. Various theories on the subject are main- 
tained by different authorities. Some of these are 
indicated on the plan. One suggestion is that the sec- 
ond wall started from a point in the first wall near the 
palace of Herod, and that some remains of an old wall, 
situated at the point A, formed part of it. The wall 
is then supposed to have been carried in a direction 
slightly west of north, up to the line of the existing 
city wall, to have followed this line to the Damascus 
gate, and then turned southeast to the Antonia. If 
this theory were correct, it is clear that the tradition- 
al site of the Holy Sepulchre would be impossible, 
as it would be some way within the city wall. The ar- 
guments against the proposal are, that, according to 
the account of the siege of Jerusalem given by Joseph- 
us, it is improbable that the second wall started from 
a point so near to Herod’s palace, that the line of the 
present city wall is more likely to be that of the third 
wall, and that Josephus states that the second wall 
went “up to” and not “down to” the fortress of An- 
tonia. Another theory is that the Gate Genath was at 
a point marked B on plan, and that some ancient mas- 
onry which lies east of the so-called Pool of Hezekiah, 
and over which the houses on the west side of Christian 
Street are built, represents a portion of the second 
wall. The wall is then supposed to have been carried 
north to the point C, and either to have turned east 
to D, and again north to F, and from this to the An- 
tonia ; or to have continued north to E, and thence east 
to the Antonia. The first supposition excludes the site 
of the Holy Sepulchre, while the second includes it 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


291 



within the wall. A third theory is that the Gate Genath 
was at the point G, and that the second wall ran north 
to F, and thence to the Antonia. This proposal places 
the site of the Holy Sepulchre outside the wall, but it 
makes the part of the city protected by the latter 
smaller than is probable. Speaking generally, it may 



292 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


be stated that there is no certain evidence as to the 
line followed by the second wall, and it is impossible to 
say whether the traditional site lies inside or outside 
this wall. From the description in the Gospels of the 
burial of Jesus, it is not clear whether the tomb of 
Joseph was intended to be the final resting-place, or 
whether the body was only placed in it temporarily be- 
cause the feast of the Passover was at hand and the 
disciples intended to remove it to some other place 
after the Passover. But whatever may have been pro- 
posed, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the first day 
of the week, leaving the tomb empty, turned the at- 
tention of the disciples from the sepulchre to the living 
presence of their Master. After he had risen from the 
dead, the place of his burial does not appear to have 
had any attraction for his followers, and their is noth- 
ing in the writings of the first three centuries to lead 
us to suppose that the actual rock-cut tomb was re- 
garded with any special feelings of veneration. 
Whether even a recollection of the site was preserved 
traditionally is doubtful. — Encyclopedia Brittanica, 
11th Edition. 

Reasons for Believing in The New Calvary. Besides 
meeting all the main conditions required by the Gos- 
pel, this northern hill, near the Damascus Gate pos- 
sesses numerous other claims to attention. 

1. The place is associated by very ancient rabbinical 
and early Christian tradition with the deaths of Jere- 
miah and Stephen. 

2. The rocky knoll above the Grotto of Jeremiah is 
believed by Jews to be the ancient “ Place of Stoning ,’ ’ 
— the Beth ha-Sekelah of the Mishna, and the recog- 
nized place of public execution for Jewish criminals. 

3. The hill adjoins the great northern cemetery of 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


293 


J erusalem which contains many rock-hewn tombs, two 
of which have been advocated by experts as the cave 
of Joseph. 

4. The physical features of the hill, and its general 
resemblance to a skull, are very remarkable, and ar- 
rest the attention of all travelers. 

5. There are traces of rent rocks on the hill, gener- 
ally believed to have been caused by earthquake. 

6. The hill was described by the Russian Abbot Dan- 
iel (A. D. 1106-7) as “a flat rocky mountain which 
split up at the time of Christ’s crucifixion; the place 
is called Gehenna.” The valley to the east — that is, 
the head of St. Anne’s ravine — is connected by Mos- 
lems with death and the last judgment. 

7. The hill is now, and has from ancient times been, 
a Moslem place of burial. It has, for Jews, Christians, 
and Moslems, remarkable associations, which have 
doubtless contributed to its preservation through all 
the vicissitudes of history. 

8. There is no spot in or near Jerusalem, with the 
exception of the temple site and traditional holy sepul- 
chre, which possesses such a combination of tradition- 
al and historical associations. The remarkable verses 
in Jeremiah 31:33, 39, 40, are by some persons asso- 
ciated with this locality. Tremelius is quoted by 
Thomas Fuller as identifying the 4 1 hill Gareb” with 
Golgotha near the valley of the dead bodies . 

The various arguments in favor of the identification 
of this site have been ably summed up by the Rev. J. 
E. Hanauer in the article headed “Notes on the Site 
of Calvary, ’ ’ printed in the Quarterly Statement of the 
Palestine Exploration Fund of October, 1892. Mr. 
Hanauer, as a learned Hebrew Christian missionary 
and a native of Jerusalem, is an important authority. 


294 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


The site is independently supported by a remarkable 
list of travelers, scholars and learned writers from the 
year 1842. The list includes, among others, the fol- 
lowing names, which are arranged roughly in chron- 
ological order, showing approximately the gradual 
growth of opinion on the subject : 

Dr. Rufus Anderson (1845) ; the late Canon H. B. 
Tristram, D. D., F. R. S. of Durham (1858) ; Fiirrer 
(1865) ; Renan, Vie de Jesus (1863) ; Fisher Howe of 
New York (1871) ; Col. C. R. Conder, R. E. (1878) ; 
Dr. Chaplin (1878) ; Alfred Edersheim, D. D. (1883) ; 
Herr Conrad Schick (1888) ; Gen. Charles George Gor- 
don (1884); Laurence Oliphant (1884-85); Dr. Selah 
Merrill (1885) ; Sir J. W. Dawson (1887) ; Dr. Philip 
Schatf (1888) ; Bishop Samuel Gobet of Jerusalem 
(1888) ; Rev. Haskett Smith (1889) ; Prof. Hull, F. 
R. S. (1890) ; Rev. Evan H. Hopkins (1890) ; Dr. 
Maurice Day, Bishop of Cashel and Waterford (1891) ; 
Mrs. Oliphant (1891); H. A. Harper (1892); Rev. J. 
E. Hanauer (1892) ; E. S. Wallace (1898) ; Rev. Hugh 
Price Hughes (1901) ; Sir W. Charley (1902) ; H. Rider 
Haggard (1904) ; Rev. John Kelman (1904) ; Rev. W. 
W. Moore, D. D. (1906). 

Six of these are learned Americans who share Dr. 
Robinson’s views regarding the traditional site. The 
list, it will be noticed, is fairly cosmopolitan and repre- 
sentative of many shades of thought. 

Almost all the persons named in this list are well- 
known authors whose opinions were founded upon in- 
timate personal knowledge. Several of the writers 
above named, like Fiirrer and Schick, subsequently 
changed their views on the subject, but no one can 
fail to see that the list is very remarkable and sug- 
gestive. It includes some of the ablest and best known 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


295 


writers on Palestine subjects, and in the annals of 
Palestine exploration there are very few subjects on 
which we find a more remarkable consensus of expert 
and literary opinion. 

The opponents of this newer site of Calvary are, of 
course, very numerous and influential; but they are 
confined almost entirely to two classes of critics ; those 
who are already committed to a belief in the tradi- 
tional Golgotha, or to a strong prejudice against all 
alternative theories. Critics of the first class, like the 
late Canon MacColl, of Ripon, seldom make any claim 
to impartiality. They write as simple partisans, and 
their views must be accepted with great reserve. Crit- 
ics of the second class usually take up the agnostic po- 
sition that all search for alternative sites will be in 
vain. Dr. Sunday, author of i 1 Sacred Sites of the Gos- 
pels,’ ’ and Sir Charles Wilson, both speak disparag- 
ingly of the claims of the new Calvary “as just such 
which appeal most directly to the eye, and which every 
one can appreciate without effort.” But a site which 
made no such appeal would appear to deserve, and 
would certainly receive, very little consideration. There 
is undoubtedly a marked contrast between the tradi- 
tional Golgotha which appears to the eye so striking- 
ly artificial and improbable, and the so-called “Skull 
Hill” which impresses all observers by its rugged sim- 
plicity and natural position.— A. W. Crawley, Boevey 
M. A. in S. S. Times. 

Have we discovered the tomb of Christ ? If the 
“New Calvary” is to be accepted where was the 
tomb ? Can we with any approach to certainty identi- 
fy the place where Jesus was buried? Not certainly, 
for Jerusalem is a place of tombs. It abounds in tombs 
of almost every conceivable sort, yet there has been dis* 


296 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


covered a tomb close by the site of this new Calvary 
which strikingly satisfies the conditions of the narra- 
tive. It was bought in 1894 for about $10,000 and is 
owned in trust by an English society, known as the 
Jerusalem Garden Tomb Maintenance Fund, which 
was organized for its maintenance and with rules which 
provide that it is to be kept free from desecration upon 
one hand and from superstitious use on the other. 

The very remarkable situation and general condition 
of this tomb are such as to satisfy fully the essential 
conditions of the Gospel story. It is close by the site 
of the crucifixion and the Gospel narrative tells us 
that his burial place was “in the place where he was 
crucified.” It is a single tomb in a garden and on 
important archeological grounds is believed to date 
from the Jewish period. This tomb was discovered in 
1867, about 230 feet from the summit of the knoll, just 
under the slope of the hill and opening out from an an- 
cient garden. When found it was filled almost to the 
top with skulls and bones which had been thrown into 
it from other graves. It contained no skeleton in place. 
The human remains evidently had been thrown in from 
several other graves. Though apparently a Jewis 
tomb originally, it had been occupied in later centuries 
by Christians. Two crosses in red paint were found 
upon the walls with Greek letters at the corners. An 
arched building once existed in front of the tomb erect- 
ed by the Crusaders about the twelfth century. The 
crosses may possibly date from this time. The tomb 
is 7 feet 6 inches in height, 14 feet 6 inches long, 11 feet 
2 inches wide. A low partition divides it into two 
parts. It contains spaces for three bodies, two adults 
and one child. But only one of these spaces was ever 
finished. It was distinctly “a new tomb” and appar- 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


297 


ently only one body was buried in it. From the level 
of the ground outside one looks down into it as Peter 
and John are said to have done. When we say that 
only one human body appears to have been buried in 
it we find another interesting fact, that bits of rock at 
the bottom of the one finished compartment when ana- 
lyzed at the British Museum, are 1 alleged to show that 
no human body ever decomposed above it. The skulls 
and bones that later were thrown in decomposed in 
other graves. As an actual place of burial this tomb 
was completed for only a single occupant and that 
occupant left no chemical trace of the decomposition 
of organic matter as belongs in the human body to 
penetrate the porous rock beneath. 

Do all these facts prove conclusively that this was 
the tomb of Christ? No, they do not. They merely 
prove that this may be, or that this is a tomb essential- 
ly like that in which J esus was buried and from which 
he rose. 

This being true, it is an interesting fact that such a 
society has been organized and that the investigations 
of recent months have been such as to confirm rather 
than in any way to disprove the hypothesis which 
caused the organization of the society. 

I visited the garden tomb one Sunday morning. The 
hill above was green with its resurrection robe and 
dotted with the red anemone that sprang as if from 
the blood drops sprinkled there. I entered the 
gate of the quiet garden, and walked along its paths 
alone. I entered the tomb and stood in reverent silence 
there in a spot that suggested every essential detail of 
the Gospel Story. When I turned and re-entered the 
sunlight it would hardly have surprised me had an 
angel spoken saying “He is not here, he is risen.” 


298 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


They sell flower seeds and little pamphlets at the 
garden tomb and use the proceeds for keeping the gar- 
den in order. A very small admission fee is charged 
and subscriptions are welcome but not demanded. I 
have planted and reared in my own garden flowers of 
Palestine from seeds of flowers that grew in this gar- 
den under the brow of Calvary. 

Not in the noisy courts of the Church of the Holy 
Sepulchre elbowed by curious tourists or superstitious 
pilgrims may one realize the sensations which worthily 
belong to a visit to the tomb of Christ, but here is a 
green hill far away, without a city wall and close be- 
side it a garden and a tomb which satisfies all the con- 
ditions essential to an understanding of the story. 

The Holy Sepulchre. There is no one spot in Christ- 
endom venerated by so large a number of Christians 
as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. To 
recover this site, believed to have been that of the 
crucifixion and burial of our Lord, the Crusades were 
organized ; and to stand within its walls thousands ev- 
ery year make pilgrimages to the Holy Land. The 
spot is believed by many to have been identified by 
Helena, mother of Constantine, who built a church here 
in 333 A. D. This edifice was destroyed by the Per- 
sians in 614. A second structure was destroyed in 
1010, and the spot lay desolate for thirty years. A 
third structure was then erected, and was the one 
entered by the Crusaders, walking barefoot, and sing- 
ing jubilant songs, after their conquest in 1099. These 
walls stood till they were destroyed by fire in 1808. 
The present church was dedicated September 11, 1810. 
It cost nearly $3,000,000, of which about a million went 
for fees and bribes. The church, as it now stands, cov- 
ers many alleged holy sites, including that of Calvary. 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


299 



a. Quadrangle. 1. Chapel of Melchizedek. 
2. Armenian Chapel. 3. Coptic Chapel. 
4. Chapel of St. Mary of Egypt. 5. Greek 
Chapel of St. James. 6. Chapel of 

Mary Magdalen 7. Chapel of the Forty 
Martyrs. 8 Post of the Muslim custodiais. 
9. Slone of Anointment. 10. Place from 
which the women witnessed 
the Anointment. 11. Angels' 
Chapel. 12. Chapel of the 
Sepulchre. 13. Chapel of 

the Copts. 14. Chapel of 

the Syrians 15. Chamber 
in the rock. 16. Passage 


to the Coptic Mon- 
astery. 17. Pass- 
age to the Cistern. 
18. Cistern. 19. An- 
techamber of next 
chapel. 20. Chapel 
of the Apparition. 
21. Latin Sacristy. 

22. Catholicon. 


It is occupied jointly by the Greeks, the Roman Catho- 
lics, and the Armenians, who do not always agree. 
Modern discoveries make it very probable that the 
site of the church was within the walls at the time of 
the Crucifixion, but the place will always command the 
reverent interest of Christians of all names. 

The Rolling Stone. In the Tombs of the Kings, north 
of Jerusalem, is found a vault with a rolling stone, 
fitted in a descending groove, and closing the door of 
the tomb. It is a thick flat disc, making the door se- 
cure, and requiring considerable strength to roll it 
away. It was probably such a stone that closed the 
door of Joseph’s tomb. 

Jewish Burial. Coffins were unknown among the 
Jews. The dead were prepared for burial by wash- 
ing the body, anointing it with aromatic ointments and 
wrapping it in linen cloths with spices. The hands and 


300 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


feet were bound with grave cloths, and the face with 
a napkin. The graves were of various descriptions. 
Sometimes, as with us, they were ‘dug in the earth, and 
this is the present custom of the Eastern Jews. Caves 
were often used for this purpose. And the most desira- 
ble sepulchres were hewn out in the rock and pro- 
vided with shelves upon which the bodies would be 
laid. A family might use such a tomb for many gen- 
erations. Such artificial caves are to be found all over 
Palestine. A stone would be used to close the opening, 
often rolling in a groove prepared for it, in order to 
protect the tomb from robbers or wild beasts. 

The Jews were most punctilious in the matter of 
the burial of the dead, and, while the Romans were 
willing to leave their crucified slaves to be devoured 
as carrion, the Jews would give to even the meanest 
some sepulchre. 

Good Friday. Although Friday has for centuries 
been regarded with horror, and the Friday before 
Easter especially so, still the day of the crucifixion 
early took upon itself associations other than those 
of terror and foreboding. As the day of the crucifixion 
it was “ Black Friday”; as the day of redemption it 
became ‘ ‘ Good Friday.” 

From the time when Easter began to be celebrated, 
the Friday preceding it was observed in the early 
Church. Constantine forbade the opening of courts 
and markets on this day. It was customary to omit 
all lights and music on this day, save music of the 
simplest and most solemn description. Bells were 
not rung for worship. The knee was not bowed in 
prayer, because with the bowing of the knee the Jews 
reviled Christ. The customary kiss was omitted, be- 
cause with that sign Judas betrayed his Lord In 


THE STORY OF FRIDAY 


301 


Greek and Latin churches the altar lights are extin- 
guished, the communion is omitted, and the pulpit fur- 
niture is covered on this day. 

Superstitions Concerning Friday . Because Jesus 
was crucified on Friday, that day has borne an evil 
reputation among the days of the week. It is a pity 
that there should be any distinctively Christian sup- 
erstitions. There is no reason why any sensible per- 
son should hesitate to do or begin on Friday any good 
work which he would perform on any other day of the 
week. Christian people should do their utmost to 
break down reasonless prohibitions, such as grow out 
of the superstitions concerning Friday. 

The common practice of fixing dates for the execu- 
tion of criminals on Friday grows out of the evil repu- 
tation of this day since Christians began to celebrate 
it as the day of our Lord’s death upon the cross. 

Hot Cross Buns. Among the long established Easter 
customs is that of serving buns marked with a cross 
Good Friday. Lent early became a time of fasting, the 
Fridays in Lent coming to be observed with special 
solemnity. All meats were prohibited. No divine 
command was adduced in favor of these customs of 
abstinence, but it grew out of the ascetic observances 
of the passion time. On Good Friday a special form 
of bread was prepared, which came to wide popular- 
ity, though never to ecclesiastical recognition. In Eng- 
land and other countries hot buns, often sweetened, 
and with a cross marked upon the top, have long been 
sold at an early hour on Good Friday morning. The 
custom is common in America, also, but lacks the time- 
honored associations of older countries. 


£be ©tors of Saturbas* 

Bprtl 8, 30 B. 2). 

Only one incident and that recorded by only a single 
evangelist, comes to us out of the silence of the sad day 
after the crucifixion. Matthew notes that the chief 
priests and the Pharisees, fearing an attempt to steal 
the body of Jesus, obtained Pilate’s permission to 
place a guard over the sepulchre. 

There was little need of such precaution. The dis- 
ciples had doubtless gathered together after their first 
panic and probably spent the gloomy Sabbath in that 
same upper room where the Passover had been eaten. 
They would have little to say to one another, only the 
repeated words of grief that no one heeds. They had 
no plans for the future. What could they plan, when 
all the hopes of eager months were dead? It is an 
unrecorded day, for no evangelist could chronicle dull 
gloom and sadness. 

It is not difficult to realize how the women spent that 
day. It was Sabbath, and ordinary work could not be 
done. But there were domestic duties that must needs 
be performed, and there were still last offices of love 
to be rendered to the body of him whom they had loved 
and lost. The preparation for sepulchre had been hur- 
ried, owing to the rapid coming of the sabbath on the 
Friday evening. There were spices and ointments for 
embalming to be carried to the tomb as soon as sab- 
bath should be past. And so they procured these 
gifts of love and waited. No chronicle has told us of 
the hopeless and eventless waiting of the women on 
that day; and no word has come to us of the black, 


THE STORY OF SATURDAY 


303 


blank silent despair of the eleven men who had left all 
and followed him, and whose hopes lay buried with 
him in the grave in the garden. 

And no word is told us of Jesus on that Saturday. 
His body lay in the niche in Joseph’s tomb where they 
had laid him. And that is all we know. 

THE WATCH AT THE TOMB. 

Now on the morrow, which is the day after the Prepara- 
tion, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered 
together unto Pilate, saying, ‘‘Sir, we remember that that 
deceiver said while he was yet alive, ‘After three days I 
rise again/ Command therefore that the sepulchre be 
made sure until the third day, lest haply his disciples come 
and steal him away, and say unto the people, ‘He is risen 
from the dead,’ and the last error will be worse than the 
first.” 

Pilate said unto him, “Ye have a guard: go, make it as 
sure as ye can.” 

So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the 
stone, the guard being with them. 

And on the Sabbath (the disciples) rested according to 
the commandment. (His Last Week, p. 55; Mt. 27:62-66; 
Lk. 23:56c.) 

The Watch at the Sepulchre. (Mt. 27:62-66.) The 
enemies of Christ were not inactive. They recalled, 
with dreadful reminiscence, the rumored prophecies of 
his resurrection, and these intimations, which were but 
dim to a crushed and wavering faith, were read, like 
fiery letters upon the wall, by the illuminating glare of 
an uneasy guilt. Pretending, therefore, to be afraid 
lest his body should be stolen by his disciples for pur- 
poses of imposture, they begged that, until the third 
day, the tomb might be securely guarded. Pilate gave 
them a brief and haughty permission to do anything 
they liked; for — apparently in the evening, when the 
great Paschal Sabbath was over — they sent their guard 


304 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


to seal the golal [or great stone], and to watch the 
sepulchre. — Farrar, Life of Christ, ch. 52. 

The Gloom of the Disciples . And so all the disciples 
were in a mood of deepest and darkest depression. 
The light had been cut oft from their minds. They 
were in the dark. The taste had gone out of their 
lives. Everything had become stale and profitless. 
Simon Peter was gloomy with despondency and hag- 
gard with remorse. Two disciples were walking in 
the twilight to Emmaus, “looking sad,” communing 
about the awful and sudden eclipse in which their 
hopes had been so miserably quenched. In every life 
the light was out. Mary Magdalene started at the 
“early dawn” to carry spices to the grave, but there 
was no dawning in her spirit, and the roadway was wet 
with her tears. Even in the heart of the Magdalene 
there was no vigil burning, like uncertain candle in a 
dark and gusty night. No one was anxiously watch- 
ing on the third day, with eyes intently fixed upon a 
mysterious east. No; death reigned, and wickedness, 
and hopelessness, and no one was looking for the morn- 
ing! — J. H. Jowett, The School of Calvary, pp. 116-7. 

The Day After. Oh, the bitterness of the day after ! 
When there is nothing more to do and no hoping even 
against hope, for the fierce, losing contest is ended. 
The pain of the blow is over, and the ache of the blow 
remains. 

It is ever the day after that is the hardest to bear. 
Then everything seems to mock our sorrow, and the 
world seems so heartless. Life has come to an end 
for us, and yet the sun still shines and the busy world 
goes on. There comes a kind of bewilderment. One 
is alive in a world to which he does not belong. It 
is hard to realize what is to be done to find one’s place 


THE STORY OF SATURDAY 


305 


again. How can one take np duties that have lost 
their meaning? How can one meet one's fellow men 
who cannot understand? How can one join the com- 
pany of the merry-hearted when joy and heart's ease 
seem to have gone forever? Whatever calamity may 
come to us with its keen, cutting agony — and there 
are so many possible, and each with its own pain — 
there is always a day after, when the realizing of our 
loss presses heavy upon us, and the hopelessness of 
the look forward robs us of strength and motive. And 
that day we drink the cup of life's bitterness. 

The day after the ambition of a life-time has been 
disappointed. He had worked and planned for that 
place, that honor. The crisis came — the one chance 
to win or to lose — and he lost. The next day he must 
face the world and smile, as if a dead weight were not 
lying at his heart. He is dazed and uncertain, and 
sometimes he is a broken man. 

The day after the financial crash has come. He has 
been fighting and struggling to secure temporary stays, 
always hoping that the tide will turn. But now the 
blow has fallen ; he is a bankrupt, and the next day he 
must begin anew. He does not know how to live as 
poor men live. He knows not where to turn or what 
to do. The heavy sorrow of the failure bows him 
down. 

The day after the battle. The fight is over and the 
cause is lost. And what shall the leader do? Oh, the 
tragedies of history in the day after the battle ! 

And the day after, that comes to every home : when 
the friends are gone, and the house is swept and gar- 
nished, and so empty. The pain of the blow is keen 
as our quivering flesh can bear, but the ache that is 
after the blow — who can tell its dull and silent sorrow? 


306 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


So the evangelists have no record of the day after 
the crucifixion. There is nothing to tell. Jesus is dead. 
John has taken the stricken mother to his home. The 
sword has pierced through her heart and she can on- 
ly realize: Jesus is dead. The eleven gather in that 
upper room, where so recently Jesus had eaten the 
memorable supper, and as they look at the place where 
he stood there comes upon them the awful hopeless 
sense of orphanhood: Jesus is dead. The women from 
Galilee are waiting till the sabbath is past. There is 
still a last duty, to carry the spices to the sepulchre 
for the care of his body. But hope is gone. Only 
love remains: that hopeless love that lingers still in 
sorrow: Jesus is dead! — The Week of Our Lord’s 
Passion. 


Gbe Stor$ of jEaoter Sunbas* 

Bprll 9, 30 B. D. 

The narratives of Easter morning do not readily ad- 
just themselves so as to make of them a single and con- 
sistent narrative. The exact sequence is as difficult as 
it is unimportant. 

We do not need a harmony of the resurrection ap- 
pearances of Jesus. There was no reporter with a 
primary chronologic interest on that first Easter day. 
It is to he expected that from disciples, whose sadness 
was changed so wondrously into exultant joy, there 
should come a series of impressions rather than care- 
ful complimentary narratives. The first incident re- 
corded is the great earthquake and the descent of the 
angel, who rolled away the stone from before the sepul- 
chre, while the soldiers were stricken with deadly fear. 
Mary Magdalene and the other women are mentioned 
as going together to the tomb to embalm the body of 
the Lord. But it seems clear that Mary first found the 
tomb empty and informed Peter and John, who has- 
tened to verify her tidings. And it was Mary that 
Jesus first appeared. Next he seems to have appeared 
to the women. There is reference to an appearance of 
the Lord to Peter, but no account of that first meeting 
since the denial in the High Priest’s palace has been 
given to us. In the afternoon, to the two disciples 
walking to Emmaus, Jesus appeared, but was not rec- 
ognized until, accepting their hospitality, he himself 
took the place of host and blessed the bread and broke 
it. They returned immediately to J erusalem and found 
the disciples earnestly discussing the wondrous news. 


308 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


And while they added their testimony to Peter ’s 
Jesus appeared among them, speaking peace, assur- 
ing them of his reality, and imparting to them the 
Holy Spirit. These are the events of the wonderful 
day as the Gospels record them, and arrayed as nearly 
as we are able to array them in chronological order. 

THE EARTHQUAKE. 

And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel 
of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled 
away the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was as 
lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of 
him the watchers did quake, and became as dead men. 
(His Last Week, p. 56; Mt. 28:2-4.) 

The Narratives of the Resurrection. All of the 
evangelists record that the tomb was found empty on 
the Easter morning. Matthew states that the two 
Marys found an angel, who had rolled away the stone, 
who showed them the vacant place where Jesus had 
lain, and who commissioned them to tell the disciples 
to meet the Lord in Galilee. Mark adds Salome as a 
third woman and relates substantially the same nar- 
rative. Luke says that there were also other women 
and likewise gives the words of an angel who sends the 
women to the disciples. He adds that Peter came to 
see, and found the tomb empty. John records that 
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb, saw the stone re- 
moved, went immediately to the disciples, and that 
Peter and John came and found the body gone, but 
the linen cloths upon the rock where the body had 
been laid. John adds that Mary remained weeping at 
the tomb, saw two angels within where the body had 
been laid, and presently saw Jesus, who sent her to 
his disciples. Matthew relates that Jesus met the two 
Marys as they were going to tell the disciples. 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 309 


Luke alone gives the account of the appearance of 
the two who were going to Emmaus. He relates that 
after these two had returned to the eleven at Jerusa- 
lem Jesus appeared to them all. John has a clearly 
parallel narrative, except that he specifies that Thomas 
was not present, and records another appearance a 
week later, especially designed for Thomas. Luke re- 
cords no further appearances after the Easter Day, 
but passes immediately to the final words of Jesus and 
to the Ascension. We owe to him, however, in the be- 
ginning of the Book of Acts, the statement of the forty 
days. 

J ohn relates the appearance of the seven fishermen 
in Galilee, and Matthew the appearance to the eleven 
on a mountain. 

It is not, of course, possible to make a complete 
harmonization of these narratives. As nearly as that 
is possible it has been done in the continuous story. 

Conjectural Reconstruction of the Resurrection Nar- 
ratives. Yet a reconstruction which can claim proba- 
bility for itself is not impossible. First, the supposi- 
tion that all the women came to the tomb together, but 
that Mary, turning back before the others had reached 
the tomb, became separated from them, is not in it- 
self an improbable hypothesis, and goes far toward 
solving some elements of the problem. The story will 
then read in brief thus: All the women came to the 
tomb together; Mary, seeing the stone rolled away, 
waits to see no more, but runs to tell Peter and John; 
the other women continue on, enter the tomb, see the 
vision of the young man, and return and bring the 
disciples word; Peter and John come to the tomb, not 
having met the women, see the clothes lying in the tomb, 
and return home ; Mary, coming more slowly, reaches 


310 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


the garden, sees first the angel and then Jesns; the 
other women also, perhaps returning under an impulse 
similar to that which drew Mary, return and are met 
by Jesus; while these events are happening the two 
set out to Emmaus, having heard only the first report 
of the women and that of Peter and John, but no news 
of the actual epiphany of Jesus. This reconstruction 
takes each narrative at its face meaning, except that 
it assumes that the epiphany of Mt. 28:9, instead of 
occurring, as the narrative naturally suggests, while 
the women are on the way to take to the disciples 
the message of the angel, in fact happened after that 
message had been delivered. . . . The whole 
hypothesis is somewhat complicated, and for this reas- 
on perhaps improbable. — Burton and Mathews, Life 
of Christ, pp. 283, 284. 

The disciples belief in the resurrection. The con- 
viction among Christians that Christ was really raised, 
dates from the very morning of the resurrection itself. 
It was not a growth spread over a long period and re- 
ceiving gradual accretions of strength; but it sprang 
suddenly into existence, and it swept irresistibly over 
the whole body of disciples. Of the force and uni- 
versality of the belief there can be no doubt ; but when 
we come to details it would seem that from the first 
there was a certain amount of confusion, which was 
never wholly cleared up. We have records of a num- 
ber of appearances, not all contained in a single au- 
thority, but scattered over several distinct authorities ; 
and it is probable enough that even when all the re- 
corded appearances are put together they would not 
exhaust all those that were experienced. — Sanday, 
Hastings ’ Diet. Bible, vol. ii, Art. “Jesus Christ,” pp. 
640, 641. 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 311 


An angel of the Lord . . . rolled the stone away. 

(Mt. 28:2.) Such special tombs were cut in the face 
of a ledge of rock made perpendicular, and the large 
stone was laid up against the entrance. It was some- 
times made in the form of a large heavy disc rolling 
on a slightly curved groove which was lowest im- 
mediately in front of the entrance, and thus a con- 
siderable force was needed to roll it upward from its 
position of rest. In other cases the tomb was of the 
sarcophagus nature, a horizontal coffin-shaped recess 
being cut in the upper surface of a large piece of rock, 
and the sides and ends were cut away to give the shape 
of a large box. A heavy lid of stone was then laid 
over the upper surface of the rock. In either case the 
precaution taken was against desecration by wild ani- 
mals, and from robbers who might steal any jewelry 
or gold ornaments placed in the tomb with the dead 
body. In addition to the above, solemn imprecations 
were often carved around the sides of the tomb to give 
warning of the punishment that would fall upon any 
one attempting to dishonor the resting-place of the 
dead. — George M. Mackie, D. D., Missionary to the 
Jews, and Minister of the Anglo-American Congrega- 
tion in Beyrout, Syria. 

And sat upon it. (Mt. 28:2.) Surely the angel of 
Easter morning did a superfluous piece of work ! To 
roll away the stone of the sepulchre was a very im- 
portant thing; but to sit upon it afterward — surely 
that was a useless task ! Is it not a lame and impotent 
conclusion to a great deed! We should have expected 
the Easter angel, after rolling away the stone, to have 
been described as winging his way “ beyond the clouds 
and beyond the tomb.” But, when we are called to 
see him sitting on the old gravestone, is that poetry, 


312 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


is that beauty*? Yes — the grandest poetry, the most 
subtle beauty. It is a far finer image than would have 
been depicted in the angel flying home. It is not 
enough that the stone of my grief should be rolled 
away; it must be glorified. Many a sorrow, when it 
passes away, leaves soreness behind. It is no longer 
the place of my tribulation today, but it was the place 
of my tribulation yesterday. I weep over my yester- 
day; I need something to explain my yesterday. To- 
day has been glorified ; I want yesterday to be glorified 
too. I want to see the angel in the place where my old 
sorrow lay — on the stone of my former sepulchre. — 
Geo. Mathim, Times of Retirement, pp. 140-141. 

The resurrection . (Mt. 28:2-8.) True, no mortal 
saw him in the act of rising. It was God’s favorite 
way of doing his choicest, divinest things. Meet was 
it that the resurrection of his son should take place 
in the majestic solemnity of an august solitude. But, 
although no one saw him rise, or can tell the precise 
moment that he rose, there is one blessed thing that 
we do know: Some time during Saturday night the 
dead Jesus became the risen Christ, stepping forth 
from his tomb the conqueror of sin and death and hell. 
That resurrection henceforth and forever abolished 
the Sabbath of the decalogue, and consecrated Sun- 
day to be our true Sabbath, even the Lord’s own day. 
— Boardman, Epiphanies of the Risen Lord, pp 25, 26. 

The resurrection revelation. There are some who 
think a belief in the resurrection unimportant to Chris- 
tianity. They say that we should still have the teach- 
ing and the personality of Jesus, and our religion 
would stand in these. But it is by no means certain 
that anyone would have preserved for us the teach- 
ings of Jesus, or have given us the portraiture of his 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 313 


personality, if there had been no resurrection. To he 
sure other good men have lived and died and their 
words and deeds have been recorded without the in- 
spiration of any such extraordinary event. But no 
other man ever raised such mighty hopes; no other 
death ever dashed in pieces such glorious expectations. 
Jesus was either all the disciples had desired or he 
was but a sad memory of a hope misplaced. Only the 
certainty that they had not been wrong in thinking of 
him as the Divine Saviour could have encouraged 
them to live his life, to follow his ideals, to preach his 
gospel, to make his kingdom their highest good, and 
to leave to us the records of their faith. The resurrec- 
tion of Jesus made Christianity. — The Week of Our 
Lord’s Passion, p. 129. 

THE EMPTY TOMB. 

Now at early dawn on the first day of the week cometh 
Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the 
tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the tomb. She 
runneth therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the 
other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, 
“They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we 
know not where they have laid him.” 

Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and 
they went toward the tomb. And they ran both together: 
and the other disciple outran Peter, and came first to the 
tomb; and stooping and looking in, he seeth the linen 
cloths lying; yet entered he not in. 

Simon Peter therefore also cometh, following him, and 
entered into the tomb: and he beholdeth the linen cloths 
lying, and the napkin, that was upon his head, not lying 
with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. 
Then entered in therefore the other disciple also, who came 
first to the tomb, and he saw, and believed. For as yet 
they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from 
the dead. So the disciples went away again unto their 
own home. (His Last Week, p. 56; Lk. 24:12; Jn. 20:1-10.) 

The news brought to Peter and John . ( Jn. 20 :3-10.) 


314 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


When Mary brought the startling intelligence that the 
tomb was empty, Peter and John instantly made for 
the spot at the top of their speed. The older man was 
soon left behind, but natural reverence kept John from 
entering the rocky chamber. He looked in, however, 
and to his surprise saw enough to convince him that 
the body had not been removed for interment else- 
where or to be cast out with the bodies of criminals. 
For there were the linen cloths in which he had been 
wrapped, carefully taken off and left behind. The im- 
pression made by this circumstance was confirmed 
when Peter came up, and they both entered and ex- 
amined the tomb and made their inferences together. — 
Dods, Expos. Bible John, vol. 2, p. 351. 

The doubt of the disciples . Let us be glad that they 
did not too readily accept the stupendous miracle of 
the resurrection. Had they not doubted, we must have 
doubted. The gospel narrative shows conclusively that 
the resurrection of J esus was not the mere realization 
of their expectation that he would rise. They were 
not prepared for such an event. 

The unbelief of the disciples. Their unbelief was in- 
deed so great that the Apostles could not credit the 
report of the women, and the most thoughtful of the 
apostles would not believe his own brethren, but de- 
clared that unless he could touch the very wounds of 
Christ he would not accept the Lord’s resurrection. 
It was also in the last degree inexpedient and dan- 
gerous for them to declare the resurrection, since it 
was bound to bring upon them the enmity of the Jew- 
ish rulers, and likely to send them to their Master’s 
death. Nothing but profound conviction could have 
opened the mouths of the disciples and compelled them, 
in the face of the hostility of Jerusalem, to declare 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 315 


that the priests had not won, hut that Jesus had ob- 
tained the victory. Upon these men faith in the res- 
urrection produced its natural and conspicuous effect, 
since one cannot imagine any greater difference than 
between Simon, the son of Jonas, denying his Lord 
through fear of a servant girl, and St. Peter defying 
Jerusalem at the day of Pentecost. Has it ever been 
known in the annals of evidence that a body of simple- 
minded men should bear witness to a fact which be- 
forehand they were not able to believe, and whose 
declaration could only involve them in the last danger, 
and in the end should believe it so firmly that their 
faith has made them into heroes and into saints'? — 
Watson, Life of the Master, pp. 298, 299. 

Then went in also that other disciple . Uncon- 
scious influence in this slight touch or turn of history, 
is opened to us, if we scan it closely, one of the most 
serious and fruitful chapters of Christian doctrine. 
Thus it is that men are ever touching unconsciously 
the springs of motion in each other ; thus it is that one 
man, without thought or intention, or even a conscious- 
ness of the fact, is ever leading some other after him. 
Little does Peter think, as he comes up where his 
doubting brother is looking into the sepulchre, and 
goes straight in, after his peculiar manner, that he is 
drawing in his brother apostle after him. As little 
does John think, when he loses his misgivings, and 
goes into the sepulchre after Peter, that he is follow- 
ing his brother. And just so, unawares to himself, is 
every man, the whole race through, laying hold of his 
fellow-man, to lead him where otherwise he would not 
go. We overrun the boundaries of our personality — 
we flow together. A Peter leads a John, a John goes 
after a Peter, both of them unconscious of any influ- 


316 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


ence exerted or received. And thus our life and con- 
duct are ever propagating themselves, by a law of 
social contagion, throughout the circles and times in 
which we live. — Horace Bushnell, Sermons for the 
New Life, p. 186. 

The napkin that was about his head , wrapped to- 
gether in a place by itself. (Jn. 20:7.) Why so care- 
ful of so poor a thing? A napkin which had covered 
the face of the dead Christ is wrapped together by 
angel hands, and laid in a corner apart ! It had never 
been meant for any use but as a covering of the dead 
face of Jesus. Even that use had been rendered im- 
practicable; Jesus had risen, and his face had become 
radiant with life. There was no further need of the 
napkin. It had been intended only for the grave; and 
now even for the grave it was useless. Why did the 
angel not simply pass it by? Why take it up tenderly, 
fold it together carefully, lay it by separately? We 
can understand the gathering of the fragments that 
remained from the desert feast, for these could make 
another feast. But the napkin had reached its final 
sphere, and there was no further place for it; why 
should celestial hands be so sedulous for its preserva- 
tion? Because all our discarded past lives in the 
thought of God. The things we have surmounted and 
thrown away are gathered up by heaven. — Geo. Mathi- 
son, Times of Betirement, pp. 294-295. 

The resurrection a mystery. The gospels represent 
J esus as returning to his disciples with a body which 
was superior to the limitations which hedge our lives 
about. It may be well described by Paul's words, “It 
is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." 
Yet the records indicate that when he willed Jesus 
could offer himself to the perception of other senses 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 317 


than sight and hearing — “handle me and see” is not 
an invitation that we expect from a spiritual presence. 
If, however, we have to confess an unsolved mystery 
here, and still more in the record of his eating in the 
presence of the disciples (Lk. 24:41-43), it is permitted 
us to own that our knowledge of the possible conditions 
of the fully perfected life are not such as to warrant 
great dogmatism in criticising the account. The empty 
tomb, the objective presence of the risen Jesus, the 
renewed faith of his followers, and their new power 
are established data for our thought. With these, 
many of the details may be left in mystery, because 
we have not yet light sufficient to reveal to us all that 
we should like to know. — Rhees, Life of Jesus, p. 210. 

THE APPEARANCE TO MARY. 

But Mary was standing without at the tomb weeping: 
so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 
and she beholdeth two angels in white sitting, one at the 
head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had 
lain. And they say unto her, “Woman, why weepest thou?” 

She saith unto them, “Because they have taken away 
my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.” 

When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and 
beholdeth Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 

Jesus saith unto her, “Woman, why weepest thou? 
Whom seekest thou?” 

She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, 
“Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou 
hast laid him, and I will take him away.” 

Jesus saith unto her, “Mary.” 

She turneth herself, and saith unto him in Hebrew, “Rab- 
boni”; which is to say, “Teacher.” 

Jesus saith to her, “Touch me not; for I am not yet 
ascended unto the Father; but go unto my brethren, and 
say to them, T ascend unto my Father, and your Father, 
and my God and your God.’ ” 

Mary Magdalene cometh and telleth the disciples, “I 
have seen the Lord”; and that he had said these things 
unto her. (His Last Week, p. 57; Jn. 20: 11-18.) 


318 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


Mary was standing without at the tomb weeping. 
(Jn. 20:11.) The sight of women weeping by the 
graves of their friends is still common in the East. 
The third, ninth, and fortieth days after burial bring 
not only the near relatives, but also other friends, to 
the tomb of one lately buried. In some towns they 
have stated days on which the public go to the grave- 
yard. They bring food with them, they eat and give 
others to eat, and they make coffee for themselves and 
for their neighbors who happen to be there. Saint 
George’s Cemetery in Damascus is actually crowded 
with people on each Thursday. — Mrs. Ghosn-el-Howie. 

The appearance of the angels. (Mt. 28 :6, 7.) While 
Mary Magdalene hastened to the abode of Peter and 
John, the other women also had reached the tomb, 
either in one party or, it may be, in two companies. 
Here the appearance of the angel filled them with fear. 
But the heavenly messenger hade them dismiss appre- 
hension; he told them that Christ was not there, nor 
yet any longer dead, but risen, and invited them to 
enter the empty tomb; finally, he bade them hasten 
with the announcement to the disciples, and with this 
message, that, as Christ had directed them before, 
they were to meet him in Galilee. And when the women 
obeyed the command to go in and examine the tomb, 
they saw two angels — probably as the Magdalene 
afterwards saw them — one at the head, the other at 
the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. They waited 
no longer, but hastened, without speaking to any one, 
to carry to the disciples the tidings of which they could 
not even yet grasp the full import. — Edersheim, Life 
and Times of Jesus, vol. ii, pp. 632, 633. 

His mother’s sister , Mary, etc. (Jn. 19:25.) The 
Greek, like the English, leaves us in doubt whether we 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 319 


here have two women or one, whether altogether there 
are four women or three. The former is much the more 
probable alternative. (1) It avoids the very improb- 
able supposition of two sisters having the same name. 
. . . (3) Mark (15:40) mentions Mary Magdalene, 

Mary the mother of James the Less, and Salome. 
Mary Magdalene is common to both narratives. 
“Mary the mother of James the less” is the same as 
i ‘Mary of Clopas”; the natural inference is that 
Salome is the same as “His mother’s sister.” If this 
is correct, (4) John’s silence about the name of “His 
mother ’s sister ’ ’ is explained ; she was his own mother, 
and he is habitually reserved about all closely con- 
nected with himself. We have seen already that he 
never mentions either his own name, or his brother’s, 
or the Virgin’s. (5) The very ancient Peshito or 
Syriac Version adopts this view by inserting “and” 
before “Mary the (wife) of Clopas.” — Plummer, 
Cambridge Bible, John, p. 346. 

The Marys at the crucifixion . The name Mary was 
very popular in the time of Christ, probably because 
of the affection of the people for the memory of 
Mariamne, the Maccahaean princess, wife of Herod, 
and cruelly murdered by him. Beside Mary, the moth- 
er of Jesus, and “the other Mary” who appears to 
have been the wife of Cleopas and mother of James, 
Mary of Magdala was present among the women at 
the tomb of Jesus. There is no sufficient reason to 
believe that this Mary, the first witness to the resurrec- 
tion, had ever been an abandoned woman. Beside 
these Marys, another, the sister of Martha, was not far 
away. Other women of the same name appear in the 
Acts and Epistles, one of whom is known to us as the 
mother of Mark, the evangelist, her home was in Jeru- 


320 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


salem, and was a meeting place for Christians. (Acts 

12 : 12 ). 

THE APPEARANCE TO THE WOMEN. 

And the women which had come with him out of Galilee 
came unto the tomb, bringing the spices which they had 
prepared. And they were saying among themselves, “Who 
shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tomb?” 
and looking up, they see that the stone is rolled back, 
for it was exceeding great. And entering into the tomb, 
they saw a young man sitting on the right side, arrayed 
in a white robe ; and they were amazed. And he saith unto 
them, “Be not amazed: ye seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who 
hath been crucified; he is risen; he is not here: behold, 
the place where they laid him! But go, tell his disciples 
and Peter, ‘He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall 
ye see him, as he said unto you.’ ” 

And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and 
great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word. 

And behold, Jesus met them, saying, “All hail.” And 
they came and took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. 

Then saith Jesus unto them, “Fear not: go tell my 
brethren that they depart into Galilee, and there shall they 
see me.” 

Now they were Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary 
the mother of James; and the other women with them 
told these things unto the apostles. And these words ap- 
peared in their sight as idle talk, and they disbelieved them. 
(His Last Week, pp. 57-8; Mt. 28:1-10; Mk. 16:2-8; Lk. 
24:1-11.) 

The women at the sepulchre. (Mt. 28 :l-8.) The pres- 
ervation of 4 4 the garden tomb” and the conditions un- 
der which it is worthily made secure to the future rep- 
resent the effort and generosity of Miss Louisa Hope, 
of England, who was first among the believers in the 
authenticity of the site to start a movement for its 
purchase and preservation. It is fitting that this 
should be so. The church of the Holy Sepulchre owes 
its existence to the devotion of another woman, Helena, 
the mother of the Emperor Constantine. The women 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 321 


who belonged to the Saviour’s company were most 
faithful of all his followers at his crucifixion. 

4 ‘Not she with traitorous kiss her Saviour stung, 

Not she denied him with unholy tongue 
She when apostles shrunk, danger braved 
Last at the cross and earliest at the grave.” 

It was a woman also who gave to us a children’s 
hymn, that sweet description of the place of his cruci- 
fixion, which has taken hold of the Christian ’s imagina- 
tion and which is most accurately fulfilled in the new 
Calvary. 

“There is a green hill far away 
Without a city wall, 

Where the dear Lord was crucified, 

Who died to save us all. ’ ’ 

Prominence of the women. Looking hack on this very 
brief record of the great events of Easter Day, nothing 
is more striking than the prominence of the women 
throughout. It is a note of the new dispensation. It 
must have been very strange to all the disciples, 
. . . that woman, who had been kept so far in the 

background, treated almost as if her presence would 
pollute the sacred places, should, now that the vail 
was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, not only 
enter into the sacred presence of the risen Lord as 
the equal of her brother man, but should be there be- 
fore him — that a woman’s eyes should be the first to 
see him, a group of women the first to receive his lov- 
ing welcome and to fall in adoration at his sacred feet. 
Yet so it was. ... It is not a question of sex ; it is 
a question of love and faith; and it was because the 
love of these women was deeper, and their fidelity 
greater, than that of the men, that they had this honor. 
—Gibson, Expos. Bible, Matthew, vol. ii, p. 438. 


322 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


And behold , Jesus met them , saying , all hail. (Mt. 
28-9.) An Oriental student of the Bible often says to 
me : ‘ ‘ It is to be regretted that the English translators 
did not adhere to the rendering in Jn. 20:19, for the 
expression our Lord used cannot have been other than 
slialom, the salaam of today, which, literally trans- 
lated, is, ‘ peace be unto you/ or 4 upon you/ ” It is a 
common salutation now, but it is far more than that. 
The trembling elders of Bethlehem asked, “Is thy 
coming peace ?” Samuel said “ Peace’ * (I Sam. 16:5). 
The terrified Joram, first through messengers and then 
personally, asked Jehu, “Is it peaceably ?” And Jehu 
had not peace for Joram, but an arrow which pierced 
his heart (II Kings 9:22-24). The women who de- 
parted from the sepulchre with fear needed the word 
“peace/* and the Lord knew and gave the word, as 
Samuel had given it to the elders of Bethlehem, and 
as Orientals use it now in similar connections. It is 
the real antidote to “fear.” — Mrs. Ghosn-el-Howie. 

They came and took hold of his feet . (Mt. 28:9.) 
In extreme cases of fear, or under a sense of sharp 
and pressing need, sufferers in the Orient fall at, or 
take hold of, the feet of one whom they suppose to be 
able to relieve them. I have heard needy and help- 
less sufferers say to possible succorers, “Ana dachul 
rijlak,” which is, being interpreted, “I put myself un- 
der the protection of thy foot.” Did the Lord take 
the “taking hold of his feet” to mean this? Is it on 
that account he said “Fear not?” (Mt. 28:10.) — Mrs. 
Ghosn-el-Howie. 

THE APPEARANCE AT EMMAUS. 

And after these things he was manifested in another 
form unto two of them, as they walked, on their way into 
the country. 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 323 


And behold, two of them were going that very day to 
a village named Emmaus, which was three-score furlongs 
from Jerusalem. And they communed with each other of 
all these things which had happened. 

And it came to pass, while they communed and ques- 
tioned together, that Jesus himself drew near, and went 
with them. But their eyes were holden that they should 
not know him. 

And he said unto them, “What communications are 
these that ye have one with another, as ye walk?” 

And they stood still, looking sad. And one of them, 
named Cleopas, answering, said unto him, “Dost thou alone 
sojourn in Jerusalem and not know the things which are 
come to pass there in these days?” 

And he said unto them, “What things?” 

And they said unto him, “The things concerning Jesus 
the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and 
word before God, and all the people: and how the chief 
priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned 
to death, and crucified him. But we hoped that it was 
he who should redeem Israel. Yea, and besides all this, 
it is now the third day since these things came to pass. 
Moreover, certain women of our company amazed us, hav- 
ing been early at the tomb; and when they found not 
his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a 
vision of angels, who said that he was alive. And certain 
of them that were with us went to the tomb, and found it 
even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.” 

And he said unto them, “O foolish men, and slow of 
heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Be- 
hooved it not the Christ to suffer these things, and to 
enter into his glory?” 

And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, 
he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things 
concerning himself. 

And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they were 
going: and he made as though he would go further. And 
they constrained him, saying, “Abide with us; for it is 
toward evening, and the day is now far spent.” 

And he went in to abide with them. And it came to 
pass, when he had sat down with them to meat, he took 
the bread and blessed; and breaking it, he gave to them. 
And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he 
vanished out of their sight. 


324 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


And they said one to another, “Was not our heart burn- 
ing within us, while he spake to us in the way, while he 
opened to us the scriptures?” 

And they rose up that very hour, and returned to Jeru- 
salem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them 
that were with them, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, 
and hath appeared to Simon.” And they rehearsed the 
things that happened in the way, and how he was known 
of them in the breaking of the bread. (His Last Week, 
pp. 58-60; Mk. 16:12-13; Lk. 24:13-35.) 

The journey to Emmaus. Emmaus was 60 stadia 
from Jerusalem, a distance of 6f miles (Lk. 24:13). 



The name is found in the village of Amwas, on the 
main road to Jaffa, known in the middle ages as Ni- 
copolis, but this is 196 stadia from Jerusalem. Am- 
was, however, on account of its name, was identified 



THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 325 


with Emmans as early as the time of Eusebius and 
Jerome, both of whom believed this to have been the 
place of our Lord’s twilight visit. Kolonia, which is 
commonly visited as Emmaus by tourists in Jerusa- 
lem, is only 34 stadia distant. Kubebeh is 64 stadia, 
but the tradition in its favor goes back only to the 
15th century. Comparatively late research has found 
the name, and at the distance given by Luke, in 
Khamasa, which lies south-west of Jerusalem, nearly 
west from Bethlehem. A number of recent scholars 
are inclined to agree upon this as the site most nearly 
in accord with the conditions of the Scripture narra- 
tive. The outline map gives the relative distances and 
directions of these four places. 

Ought not the Christ to have suffered? (Lk. 24:25.) 
Ought the Son of God to suffer such things? Who 
thought so? Of course none of his followers; but who 
even of his enemies? Not Judas. The only rational 
explanation of the story of Judas is that he believed 
and reasoned that Jesus ought not to suffer, would not 
suffer. He might be betrayed and arrested, and tried 
and sentenced, but he would escape from his perse- 
cutors once more as he had done a thousand times. 
When Judas saw his expectation defeated, he was 
smitten with horror and killed himself. Not Pilate. 
He declared him innocent. Not Pilate’s wife. She 
charged her husband to have nothing to do with that 
just person. Not the centurion who superintended 
the execution. He testified, ‘ 4 Truly this was the Son 
of God.” Not the thieves crucified with him. When 
one of these declared that they suffered justly but that 
Jesus had done nothing amiss, his companion had 
nothing to reply. Not even Caiaphas; for all that he 
claimed was that it was expedient that one man should 


326 


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die for the nation. There was a universal consent. 
He ought not to be arrested, to be scourged, to be 
mocked, to be beaten, to be crowned with thorns, to 
be sentenced, and above all, to be crucified. It ought 
not to be! This was the fixed idea of the disciples. 
To these commen men, in this condition, the Saviour 
proposed his question, “0 fools, and slow at heart to 
believe all that the prophets have spoken; ought not 
Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into 
his glory V 9 He preceeded to justify the question. — 
Geo. R. Leavitt in Monday Club Sermons. 

THE APPEARANCE TO THE DISCIPLES. 

And afterward he was manifested unto the eleven them- 
selves as they sat at meat. 

When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first 
day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the 
disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood 
in the midst and saith unto them, “Peace be unto you.” 

But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed 
that they beheld a spirit. And he said unto them, “Why 
are ye troubled? and wherefore do questionings arise in 
your heart? See my hands and my feet, that it is I my- 
self: handle me, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and 
bones, as ye behold me having.” 

And when he had said this, he showed them his hands 
and his feet. 

And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, 
he said unto them, “Have ye here anything to eat?” 

And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish. And he 
took it, and ate before them. 

Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be unto you: 
as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” And 
when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith 
unto them, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit : whose soever 
sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever 
sins ye retain, they are retained.” 

The disciples therefore were glad when they saw the 
Lord. (His Last Week, p. 60; Mk. 16:14; Lk. 24:36-49: 
Jn. 20:19-25; Cf. I Cor. 15:5b.) 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 327 


The reality of the resurrection of Jesus. It is not 
sufficient to say that there were appearances of the 
Jesus who had died to certain persons — appearances 
the significance of which is exhausted when we say 
that they left on the minds of those who were favoured 
with them the conviction that Jesus had somehow 
broken the bands of death. It is quite true that St. 
Paul, in setting before the Corinthians the historical 
evidence for the resurrection, enumerates various oc- 
casions on which the risen Lord was seen, and says 
nothing about him except that on these occasions he 
appeared to Peter, to James, to the twelve, to more 
than five hundred at once, and so on; this was quite 
sufficient for his purpose. But there is no such thing 
in the new testament as an appearance of the risen 
Saviour in which he merely appears. He is always 
represented as entering into relation to those who 
see him in other ways than by a flash upon the inner 
or the outer eye; he establishes other communications 
between himself and his own than that which can be 
characterised in this way. — James Denney, The Death 
of Christ, p. 67. 

The evidential value of Christ’s resurrection. (Jn. 
20:28, 29.) The mode of his rising from the dead is 
not vital to Christianity; he might rise with physical 
or spiritual body, so far as we can see ; but the resur- 
rection itself was vital, as Paul asserts in I Cor. ch. 15 ; 
because it afforded evidence that Jesus Christ who died 
did not thereby cease to exist or lose his power to bless 
the world, and that his realm of gracious operation in- 
cludes the unseen life as well as the seen. 

Beyond death is the unknown ; if Christ had not re- 
turned thence, men would not have been sure that in 
that unseen world to which all must go he had power, 


328 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


or even existence. The resurrection set the divine seal 
upon what he had done in this world by showing him 
victorious and powerful in the other. If it had not oc- 
curred, no swift blossoming of timid love into enthus- 
iastic Christianity would have been possible. It was 
by his rising from the dead that a Christianity of 
glowing and permanent faith in him was introduced, 
and by it he founded a church against which the gates 
of Hades would not prevail. 

How magnificently ring out the words of Rev. 1 :17, 
18: “Fear not; I am the the first and the last, and 
the Living One ; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive 
for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of 
Hades.” Other evidences of his eternal reality and 
power have since been added, but they have not ren- 
dered superfluous the evidence of the resurrection. — 
Clarke, Christian Theology, p. 322. 

Importance of the resurrection. For thirty-three 
years Jesus had trusted in God, and loved his fellow 
men, and lived above this world, and trampled every 
kind of sin under foot. He claimed to be the Son of 
God, and to have come into this world to do God’s 
work. He laid down his life with perfect singleness of 
heart upon the cross, and he declared that God would 
raise him again from the dead. The resurrection was 
to be the sanction of his life and death, it was to be 
the prophecy and earnest of his power and and glory. 
If he were raised from the dead, then was he beyond 
doubt the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world, 
who had overcome the enemy of the human race and 
opened the gates of immortality. If his body saw cor- 
ruption in Joseph’s tomb, and none again looked on 
Jesus Christ, then not only had the pharisees and 
priests attained their design and done their will upon 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 329 


the Prophet of Nazareth, but sin has been unconquered 
and still wields an unbroken sway over our race. With 
a satisfaction tempered by nervous anxiety, his ene- 
mies saw him die. With bitter regret, untouched by 
hope, his disciples buried him in the garden, and the 
very heart of human faith and of human hope hangs 
upon the issue. — Watson, The Life of the Master. 

The identity of the risen Saviour . Quickly on the 
back of the announcement that the resurrection had 
taken place came the vision of the risen one himself. 
There seems to have been some change in his outward 
appearance, though not enough to make it impossible 
to identify him when the eye became accustomed to 
that which it was beholding. Galilee, which he had 
always loved and where his ministry had been spent, 
drew him back to its mountains and its lovely lake. 
There was the old consideration for his own, also, in 
withdrawing them, for a time at least, from Jerusalem, 
with its agitations and perils, and taking them to a 
place where they could recover their faith and pur- 
pose. It was like him, too, to honor the holy women 
with so early a manifestation of himself ; it was a re- 
ward of fidelity, for it is nowhere said that any of 
them denied him, when all the men forsook him and 
fled. — Prof. James Stalker, in S. S. Times. 

Easter. Many of the northern nations celebrated 
the vernal equinox as a time of festivity and cheer. 
The same “ Easter’ ’ was given by the early Saxons 
to a festival in honor of the goddess of spring. Some 
features of the common celebration may be traced to 
this Teutonic origin. There is a peculiar fitness in 
celebrating the resurrection of the Lord of the earth 
in that season when earth wears its resurrection robe 
of green. 


330 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


The early Christians celebrated Easter with solemn 
and joyous services; it was a day of unalloyed Chris- 
tian gladness. No requirement was given by Christ or 
the apostles ; the day has been gladly observed by the 
church as one of uncompelled rejoicing. The Roman 
Catholic, Greek and Protestant Episcopal churches 
make it a matter of ecclesiastical rule, and the non- 
liturgical churches more and more universally enter 
into its celebration. In some parts of the Greek 
church, friends meeting on Easter morning greet each 
other with the words, ‘ * The Lord is risen ! ’ ’ To which 
the customary answer is: “He is risen indeed !” In 
all Christian lands churches of every name on that day 
are specially adorned with flowers and other emblems 
of life and hope, and their worship is enriched with 
songs and anthems of triumphant faith. 

The date of Easter. Jesus rose on the Sunday after 
the full moon of the vernal equinox — a time we are 
able to fix by the Feast of the Jewish Passover. The 
anniversary of our Lord’s resurrection is reckoned not 
according to the civil calendar, but by the Jewish reli- 
gious calendar, which was celebrated from the 14th to 
the 21st of the Jewish month Nisan, a month corre- 
sponding to the latter part of March and the first part 
of April. There was some difference of practice 
among the early Christians, and some sharp con- 
troversy. To settle these the Council of Nice (A. D. 
325) decreed that Easter should be celebrated the 
first Sunday after the first full moon following the 
vernal equinox, and this decree has been followed by 
the general practice of the church. The equinox al- 
ways falling on March 21st, the first full moon follow- 
ing may be in the night of March 21st-22nd, and the 
Sunday after may be as early as March 22d. But a 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 331 


whole lunar month, less one day, may pass after the 
equinox before a Sunday following a full moon, and 
so Easter may be as late as April 25th. Between 
these extremes called “the Easter limits ,, the date 
varies from year to year. The Oriental churches, in 
Russia, Greece, and elsewhere, still observe the unre- 
formed calendar, and their Easter therefore falls some- 
times before and sometimes after that of the Western 
church, though sometimes the two coincide. 

A fixed date for Easter. So many business, educa- 
tional, social, and personal events depend upon the 
dates for lent and Easter, that the extreme variations 
often cause serious difficulties, and there is a move- 
ment afoot in England to substitute a fixed date for 
the movable one. April 14 has been proposed in 
a bill before parliament. This would evidently make 
Easter come on a week-day oftener than on Suuday. 
An English member of parliament, Robert Pearce, in 
writing in the London Daily Chronicle on the incon- 
veniences of a variable date for Easter, says “It 
shifts the social and fashionable seasons most incon- 
veniently by an early or late lent. * ’ And this is not all : 

“It upsets the financial year of Great Britain and 
Ireland, which ends on March 31, bringing sometimes 
two Easters into one financial year, and sometimes a 
year without an Easter at all. The value of statistics 
is much injured in consequence. It inconveniences the 
commercial and financial worlds in several ways. In 
all manufacturing centers Whitsuntide is observed 
as a holiday by the many thousands of the wage-earn- 
ing classes, and the dislocation of business contracts 
and engagements occasioned thereby is not only ex- 
tremely inconvenient, but often occasions much loss. 
Similar troubles beset Bills of Exchange. The world 


332 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


of fashion throughout all classes is much affected. At 
Eastertide all classes from the humblest to the most 
luxurious usually provide fresh clothes and fresh win- 
dow-curtains, and freshen up their homes. An early 
or late Easter makes serious differences in these do- 
mestic matters. 

‘ ‘ The schools and universities, including the elemen- 
tary, secondary, and public schools are terribly upset 
by the shifting Easter dividing the best of the educa- 
tional year into unequal and inconvenient parts. . . . 

4 ‘The marvel is, that with all these inconveniences, 
Easter has not long ago been fixed, and it would have 
been a happy thing if the Council of Nice had been 
guided by the solar year alone and not attempted the 
impossible combination of a luni-solar year. The 
motions of the earth and moon are incommeasurable, 
and the stability of the orbits of both depend on this 
incommeasurableness. In this as in other things prog- 
ress depends on the play of forces in unstable equilib- 
rium. Knowledge, however, in 325 A. D. was not 
equal to the settlement of Easter, and it was at the 
mercy of Pagan usages and the Ptolemaic cosmogony. 
Still, the effort of Julius Caesar, Constantine the Great, 
and Pope Gregory, and in Great Britain of Lord Ches- 
terfield in 1752, may well he now completed by the 
British House of Commons affirming the desirability of 
fixing Easter and reforming the calendar.” 

It is unlikely that Christendom will ever agree upon 
a date for Easter that makes it possible for the event to 
fall on a week day ; but there would be no impropriety, 
and would be manifest convenience in agreeing upon a 
fixed Sunday, as the second Sunday in April. 

The Easter egg. The use of the egg at Easter time 
is doubtless to be attributed to the high regard in which 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 333 


it was held among many nations as the symbol of life. 

The Easter lily . The lily has always been highly 
regarded in the church. Jesus said “ Consider the 
lilies. ’ ’ The white lily is the symbol of purity. There 
is a peculiar fitness in the choice of this flower as an 
Easter emblem. Its bulb is hidden in the earth, and 
waits the coming of the Easter season to spring forth 
and blosom. Beautiful in itself it is still more beautiful 
in its sacred significance. 

REPORT OF THE WATCH. 

Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard 
came into the city, and told unto the chief priests all the 
things that were come to pass. And when they were 
assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they 
gave much money unto the soldiers, saying, “Say ye, ‘His 
disciples came by night, and stole him away while we 
slept.’ And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will 
persuade him, and rid you of care.” 

So they took the money and did as they were taught: 
and this saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and 
continueth until this day. (His Last Week, p. 58; Mt. 
28:11-15.) 

The report of the soldiers . (Mt. 28:11-15.) The 
soldiers had been stricken with amazement by some 
strange sight or sound, and knew that the tomb had 
been opened, but there is no evidence that they knew 
of Christ’s resurrection. They certainly had not seen 
him come forth from the tomb, and the message which 
came to the Jewish women at the tomb, they, as Roman 
soldiers, could not understand. Therefore, whatever 
they may have reported to the chief priests, they did 
not report the resurrection of Christ. If they reported 
that the tomb had been suddenly and wondrously 
opened, and even if they reported that it was empty, it 
is not incredible that the priests believed their report 
Gilbert, Student’s Life of Jesus, pp. 387-388. 


334 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


The report of the watch . It is said to be incredible 
that the priests would at once believe the report of the 
soldiers who told them of the occurrences at the tomb, 
when Jesus’ own disciples refused to believe until 
they had seen the risen one, and had had other proof 
of the reality of the event. But in reply to this objec- 
tion, we must notice that Matthew does not say, or 
imply, that the chief priests believed in the resurrec- 
tion of Jesus on the report of the soldiers. It is not 
even said that the soldiers reported that Jesus had 
risen. They had been struck with amazement by some 
strange sight or sound, and knew that the tomb had 
been opened, but there is no evidence that they knew 
of Jesus’ resurrection. They certainly had not seen 
him come forth from the tomb, and the message which 
came to the J ewish women at the tomb, they, as Roman 
soldiers, could not understand. Therefore, whatever 
they may have reported to the chief priests, they did 
not report the resurrection of J esus. If they reported 
that the tomb had been suddenly and wondrously 
opened, and even if they reported that it was empty, 
it is not incredible that the priests believed their re- 
port. If they had been in any doubt, they could easily 
have satisfied themselves that the tomb was empty. 
Perhaps they did this. And then it is objected further 
that Roman soldiers would not have risked their lives 
by allowing the story to go abroad that they had slept 
at their post (Mt. 28 :13). But it is not so certain that 
they did risk their lives. They had the Sanhedrin on 
their side, and it had been seen in the last days that 
the Sanhedrin was able to bend Pilate to its will. And 
then, even if there was some risk, there was also large 
money, and men have never been wanting who would 
risk their lives for money. We must conclude, there- 


THE STORY OF EASTER SUNDAY 335 


fore, that we find no sufficient reason for rejecting 
the historicity of this narrative. — George Holley Gil 
bert, Student’s Life of Jesus, p. 313. 


£be ©tors of ©be ]fort\> © a\>9. 

SunDa^, BprU 9 to Gbursbap, /Ibag 15, B. S>. 30 

A full week of silence follows Easter Sunday. 
How the disciples employed the six days we do not 
know. On Sunday, a week after the resurrection, we 
find them in the upper room, and there again they 
saw Jesus. 

Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to the 
disciples on the Easter evening. He could not believe 
the report they gave him, and insisted that he must 
have ocular proof. Just a week afterwards when they 
were all together, probably in the same upper room, 
which may have become their meeting place, Jesus 
again appeared, offered to Thomas the proofs he 
sought, and was gladly acknowledged by the happy 
disciple. 

The disciples left Jerusalem for Galilee, their own 
country. They had no settled plan and Peter sug- 
gested a night at the old fishing trade. Six others who 
were present agreed to join him. As on a memorable 
night before, the labor of the fishermen was unre- 
warded. Jesus appeared to them on the beach in the 
morning and directed them so to cast their nets that 
they took a mighty catch. They had not recognized 
him, but John guessed it was the Lord. Peter not wait- 
ing for the boat to reach the land leaped into the water 
to meet the Master. Thrice he had betrayed him, now 
thrice Jesus gave him opportunity to testify his love, 
and thrice to receive a commision of service. 

Again in Galilee Jesus appeared to the eleven upon 
a mountain. He assured them of his divine authority 


THE STORY OF THE FORTY DAYS 337 


and gave them the Great Commission to disciple the 
nations. 

The last appearance of Jesus is placed by Luke in 
Jerusalem. The disciples would return there to wait 
for the Pentecostal blessing. Jesus bade them wait 
for the promise of the Father, then led them out once 
more on the familiar road toward Bethany, and in the 
act of blessing them ascended out of their sight. The 
eleven returned to Jerusalem with joy, and recognized 
that the resurrection appearances of Jesus were ended. 
But in the knowledge that he was no longer with them 
in the flesh came the glorious truth of his promise, 
‘ ‘ Lo, I am with you alway. ’ ’ 

THE APPEARANCE TO THE DISCIPLES AND TO 
THOMAS. 

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was 
not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples 
therefore said unto him, “We have seen the Lord.” 

But he said unto them, “Except I shall see in his hands 
the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of 
the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not be- 
lieve.” 

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and 
Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, 
and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace be unto you.” 

Then saith he to Thomas, “Reach hither thy finger, and 
see my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and put it into 
my side: and be not faithless, but believing.” 

Thomas answered and said unto him, “My Lord and my 
God.” 

Jesus saith unto him, “Because thou hast seen me, thou 
hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and 
yet have believed.” (His Last Week, p. 61; Jn. 20:26-29.) 

The eight days after. Eight days means of course 
the eighth day, that is a week. It was the Jewish 
usage, which is seen again in the statement that Jesus 
rose from the dead “ after three days.” The disciples 


338 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


were clearly assembled together on the Sunday after 
the Easter Sunday. Perhaps this is the first faint be- 
ginning of the Christian Lord’s Day, to be kept forever 
by Christendom. 

“Reach hither thy finger.” (Jn. 20: 27). On this 
later occasion Christ makes more distinct reference to 
his crucifixion as he shows his hands and feet and side. 
He would thus put as another seal of the resurrection 
these test marks of his death. When the body of Liv- 
ingstone was brought to England for burial, doubts 
were expressed in regard to the identity of the remains. 
It was remembered that his forearm had once been 
broken by the paw of a lion. Examination was made 
and the scar was found which was the decoration of 
that heroic explorer. Christ submitted to the exami- 
nation of the service in which he had been engaged as a 
witness of his identity. — W. R. Campbell in Monday 
Club Sermons. 

The stigmata. It is perhaps the emphasis upon the 
wounds of Jesus in the narration of the doubt of 
Thomas that caused the church of the latter years to 
speak so much of them. The extraordinary, and ap- 
parently well authenticated experience of St. Francis 
of Assisi must have come from a prolonged dwelling 
upon the thought. He saw the crucified Saviour in a 
vision, and when he woke from the trance he found 
himself marked on hands and feet with the marks 
(stigmata) of Crucifixion. Several women in later 
times have experienced what may be called a stigmata 
neuropathy. 

Thomas said , “My Lord and My God.” Do you 
shrink from worshiping Christ? What ! do you shrink 
from worshiping that Name which is above every name 
— the Name at the sound of which every knee shall bow, 


THE STORY OF THE FORTY DAYS 339 


and which every tongue shall confess as Lord to the 
glory of God? Is there not full and glorious permis- 
sion here? 

I call upon every man who has a sense of what is 
worthy in the noblest conception of manhood to look 
up to that yet nobler conception of which these are 
but analogies and emblems — to the glorious sacrifice 
of Christ as an interpreting element of the divine na- 
ture — to God, who rules over the whole world. — H. W. 
Beecher. 

THE APPEARANCE TO THE ELEVEN BY THE SEA. 

After these things Jesus manifested himself again to the 
disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and he manifested himself 
on this wise. There were together Simon Peter, and 
Thomas called Didymus and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, 
and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 

Simon Peter saith unto them, “I go a fishing.” 

They say unto him, “We also come with thee.” 

They went forth, and entered into the boat; and that 
night they took nothing. But when day was now break- 
ing, Jesus stood on the beach: yet the disciples knew not 
that it was Jesus. 

Jesus therefore saith unto them, “Children, have ye aught 
to eat?” 

They answered him, “No.” 

And he said unto them, “Cast the net on the right side 
of the boat, and ye shall find.” 

They cast therefore, and now they were not able to 
draw it for the multitude of fishes. 

That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved saith unto 
Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that 
it was the Lord, he girt his coat about him (for he was 
naked), and cast himself into the sea. 

But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they 
were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits 
off), dragging the net full of fishes. 

So when they got out upon the land, they see a fire of 
coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith 
unto them, “Bring of the fish which ye have now taken.” 

Simon Peter therefore went up, and drew the net to 


340 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


land, full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty and three; and 
for all there were so many, the net was not rent. 

Jesus saith unto them, “Come and break your fast.” 

And none of the disciples durst inquire of him, “Who 
art thou?” knowing that it was the Lord. 

Jesus cometh, and taketh the bread, and giveth them, 
and the fish likewise. 

This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested 
to the disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. 

So when they had broken their fast, Jesus saith to Simon 
Peter, “Simon, son of John, lovest thou me more than 
these?” 

He saith unto him, “Yea, Lord: thou knowest that I 
love thee.” 

He saith unto him, “Feed my lambs.” (His Last Week, 
pp. 61-3; Jn. 21:1-23.) 

Appearance by the Sea of Galilee. (Jn. 21:1-14.) 
With the seventh appearance of the risen Lord, the 
time of which is not definitely fixed, we are taken from 
Jerusalem to Galilee (Jn. ch. 21). There were seven 
disciples together. . . . They had spent the night 

fishing, but without success. In the morning Jesus 
stood on the beach and talked with them from a dis- 
tance. They did not recognize him, but became con- 
vinced of his identity by the wonderful draft of fish 
which they took when they cast the net as he directed 
(Jn. 21:7). When they reached the shore they found 
a fire on which fish were cooking, and there was also 
bread near by. It is of course implied that Jesus had 
prepared these things. But apparently the fish which 
were being cooked were not enough for all the seven, 
and they were bidden to bring some of those which 
they had just caught. When this was done, Jesus 
served the seven men with bread and fish. — Gilbert, 
Student’s Life of Jesus, p. 397. 

The appearance by the Sea of Galilee . ( Jn. 21 :1-14.) 
On that morning there were by the lake of Tiberias 


THE STORY OF THE FORTY DAYS 341 


only seven of the disciples. Five of them only are 
named. They are those who most closely kept in com- 
pany with him — perhaps also they who lived nearest 
the lake. 

The scene is introduced by Peter’s proposal to go 
a-fishing. It seems as if the old habits had come back 
to them with the old associations. Peter ’s companions 
proposed to join him. All that still, clear night they 
were on the lake, but caught nothing. Early morning 
was breaking, and on the pebbly beach there stood the 
figure of one whom they recognized not — nay, not even 
when he spake. Yet his words were intended to bring 
them this knowledge. The direction to cast the net to 
the right side of the ship brought them, as he had 
said, the haul for which they had toiled all night in 
vain. And more than this : here was such a multitude 
of fishes that they were not able to draw up the net 
into the ship. This was enough f or 4 ‘ the disciple whom 
Jesus loved,” and whose heart may previously have 
misgiven him. He whispered it to Peter: “It is the 
Lord,” and Simon, hastily gathering about him his 
fisher ’s upper garment, cast himself into the sea. The 
others followed in a small boat, which must have been 
attached, dragging after them the net, heavy with the 
fishes. — Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus, vol. ii, 
pp. 647, 648. 

The two words for love. Difference of opinion 
also exists about agapas and philo, most interpreters 
believing that by the former a love based on esteem or 
judgment is indicated, by the latter the affection of 
the heart. The Vulgate distinguishes by using diligis 
and amo. Trench uses this distinction for the interpre- 
tation of this passage, and maintains that Peter in his 
reply intentionally changes the colder agapas into the 


342 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


warmer philo. It is very doubtful whether this is 
justifiable. The two words are used interchangeably 
to express the love of Jesus for John, see 13:23, and 
20:2; also for his love for Lazarus, 11:3, 5, 36. And 
that the distinction cannot be maintained at any rate 
in this conversation is obvious from vs. 17 ; for if the 
words differed in meaning, it could not be said that 
4 ‘Peter was grieved because Jesus a third time said 
pliileis me” ; because Jesus had not used these words 
three times. The words seem interchanged for eu- 
phony. In Peter ’s answer there is no sense of any dis- 
crepancy between the kind of love demanded and the 
love felt. 

The second inquiry is intended to drive Peter back 
from mere customary or lip-profession to the deep- 
lying affections of his spirit. But now no comparison 
is introduced into the question, which might be para- 
phrased: “Are you sure that love and nothing but 
love is the bond between you and me?” This test 
Peter stands. He replies as before; and again is en- 
trusted with the work in which his Lord is chiefly in- 
terested. But to him who had uttered a threefold de- 
nial, opportunity is given of a threefold confession, 
although Peter at first resented the reiterated inquiry. 
He was grieved because doubt was implied, and he 
knew that he had given cause for doubt. His reply 
is therefore more earnest than before. He is so con- 
scious of deep and abiding love that he can appeal to 
the Lord’s omniscience. And again he is commissioned 
or commanded to manifest his love in the feeding of 
Christ’s sheep. The one qualification for this is love 
to Christ. It is not for want of time no other questions 
are asked. There was time to put this one question 
three times over ; and it was put because love is the one 


THE STORY OF THE FORTY DAYS 343 


essential for the ministry to which Peter and the rest 
are called. — Dods, Expos. Greek Test., vol. i, pp. 870, 
871. 

The meaning of the miracle . We cannot but regard 
it as an acted parable. We are justified in so regard- 
ing it when we note how Jesus used this figure of the 
net and fishes for one of his illustrations of the nature 
and work of the kingdom, and that he doubled this 
miracle on the same Galilean lake after the resurrec- 
tion. Thus he called these fishermen now for apostolic 
work, and with this sign renewed he sealed them afresh 
for it ere he left the world. — Laidlaw, The Miracles 
of Our Lord, p. 59. 

Fishing on the Sea of Galilee. The waters of this 
beautiful lake abound in excellent fish of many varie- 
ties. In new testament times there was no monopoly, 
as there is now under the Turkish rule, and a large 
population was engaged in fishing. The numerous 
prosperous towns about the lake and in the surround- 
ing country made the trade a profitable one. Its im- 
portance is indicated by the name of the city Bethsaida, 
‘ ‘ House of Fish. ’ ’ Fishing as a sport is quite unknown 
in ancient Galilee. It was pursued as a business. Small 
nets and hooks were used, and sometimes spearing was 
the method of the catch. But generally the seine was 
employed. The two methods of seining are indicated 
in Luke (5 :4-9) and in Matthew (13 :48). It is evident- 
ly the former that was used by Peter and his com- 
panions. The net would be let down into the deep 
water and after encircling a considerable space would 
be hauled into the boat with the fish. The fishermen 
generally worked at night and wore only the cloth 
about the waist, which is the meaning of the term 
1 1 naked/ ’ 


344 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


The fish as a symbol . The fish was one of the earliest 
of mystic Christian emblems. Whether as an esoteric 
reference to baptism, or because the first disciples 
were fishermen, it soon suggested itself to the perse- 
cuted people as a sign by which they could make them- 
selves known to each other. The ancients were far 
more attentive than we to acrostic readings and mystic 
signs. Many scholars believe that the fish in early 
Christian usage either was originally, or in time be- 
came, an epitomized confession of faith, its five letters, 
standing for the words, “ Jesus Christ, God’s Son, 
Saviour. ’ 9 

THE APPEARANCE TO THE ELEVEN ON THE 
MOUNTAIN. 

The eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the moun- 
tain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they 
saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And 
Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, “All 
authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. 
Go ye therefore, into all the world, and make disciples of 
all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father 
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to 
observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, 
I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” 
(His Last Week, pp. 63-4; Mt. 28:16-20; [Mk. 16:15-18].) 

The great commission. What, then, is the content 
of the teaching of commission of the risen Saviour, 
which all the evangelists give in one form or another? 
Luke has some peculiar matter in which he tells how 
Jesus opened the minds of his disciples to understand 
the scriptures, recalling the words he had spoken while 
he was yet with them, how that all things must be ful- 
filled which were written in the law of Moses and in 
the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning him. If 
J esus spoke to his disciples at all about what had be- 


THE STORY OF THE FORTY DAYS 345 


fallen him, all that we have already seen as to his 
teaching prepares ns to believe that it was on this line. 
Alike for him and for the disciples the divine necessity 
for his death could only be made out by connecting 
it with intimations in the word of God. But apart 
from this instruction, which is referred to by Luke 
alone, there is the common testimony with which we 
are mainly concerned. In Matthew it runs thus: 
‘ i Jesus came and spoke to them saying, all power has 
been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go and 
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into 
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy 
Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have 
commanded you. And lo, I am with you all the days 
until the end of the world’ ’ (Mt. 28:18). Here we 
notice as the essential things in our Lord’s words (1) 
the universal mission; (2) baptism; (3) the promise 
of a spiritual presence. — J ames Denney, The Death of 
Christ, pp. 70-1. 

THE LAST APPEARANCE AND ASCENSION. 

And he said unto them, “These are my words which 
I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things 
must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of 
Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me.” 

Then opened he their mind, that they might understand 
the scriptures; and he said unto them, “Thus it is writ- 
ten, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the 
dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of 
sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, 
beginning from Jerusalem. Ye are witnesses of these 
things. And behold, I send forth the promise of my Father 
upon you: but tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed 
with power from on high.” 

And he led them out until they were over against Beth- 
any: and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 

And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he parted 
from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they 


346 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy : 
and were continually in the temple, blessing God. 

Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of 
the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these 
are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his 
name. 

He saith unto him again a second time, “Simon, son of 
John, lovest thou me?” 

He saith unto him, “Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I 
love thee.” 

He saith unto him, “Tend my sheep.” 

He saith unto him the third time, “Simon, son of John, 
lovest thou me?” 

Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third 
time, “Lovest thou me?” And he said unto him, “Lord, 
thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.” 

Jesus saith unto him, “Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I 
say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thy- 
self, and walkedst whither thou wouldst; but when thou 
shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another 
shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.” 

Now this he spake, signifying by what manner of death 
he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he 
saith unto him, “Follow me.” 

Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved 
following; who also leaned back on his breast at the sup- 
per, and said, “Lord, who is he that betrayeth thee?” Peter 
therefore seeing him saith to Jesus, “Lord, and what shall 
this man do?” 

Jesus saith unto him, “If I will that he tarry till I come, 
what is that to thee? Follow thou me.” 

This saying therefore went forth among the brethren, 
that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto 
him, that he should not die, but, “If I will that he tarry 
till I come, what is that to thee?” (His Last Week, p. 64; 
Lk. 24:50-53.) 

The final interview in Jerusalem. (Lk. 24:44-49.) 
The interview was not for long, for the risen Christ 
dwelt apart from his disciples, coming to them at un- 
certain times and only for brief spaces. He lingers, 
however, now to explain to the eleven, as before to the 


THE STORY OF THE FORTY DAYS 347 


two, the great mystery of the redemption. He opens 
their minds, that the trnth may pass within. — Chad- 
wick, Expos. Bible, Luke, pp. 413, 414. 

The ascension. Luke alone refers to the ascension, 
and that not in his Gospel, but in the Acts (Acts 1:9). 
According to the passage in Acts, Jesus was seen, ap- 
parently by eyes of flesh, ascending into the air, and at 
last was hidden by a cloud. How Mark concluded his 
Gospel we do not know. The present conclusion, 14 :9- 
20, is almost unanimously admitted to be an interpola- 
tion. We cannot say, therefore, whether the second 
evangelist made any allusion to the ascension. — George 
Holley Gilbert, Students Life of Jesus, p. 332-3. 

The glory of the ascension . (Lk. 24:50-53.) The 
last paragraph of the gospel of Luke presents a scene 
of indescribable grandeur. Jesus, who had risen from 
the grave and moved about upon the earth for a few 
weeks like a phantom — for the most part hiding him- 
self from their sight, and only now and then, at some 
unexpected moment, revealing himself to their be- 
wildered senses — now leads them forth, past the 
gloomy shades of Gethsemane, over the shoulder of 
Olivet where but lately the fountains of sorrow were 
opened as he looked down upon the devoted city, and 
past the withered fig-tree, to Bethany, the home of 
Mary and Martha and Lazarus. But no longer did he 
need the protecting care of this hospitable roof. The 
hours of his humiliation were passed. He was the 
man of sorrows no longer. — G. Frederick Wright in 
Monday Club Sermons. 

Lent. Lent is the forty days (excluding Sundays) 
beginning with 4 ‘Ash Wednesday” and ending with 
Easter. The name is derived from a German word 
meaning “Spring.” It has no Biblical authority, but 


348 


DAY BY DAY WITH JESUS 


is employed by increasing numbers of Christians and 
churches as a period profitable for meditation, self- 
denial and prayer. Originally the fast was forty hours 
— ‘‘the time between the crucifixion and the rising.” 
But gradually these forty hours became forty days, 
“from the cases of Moses, Elijah and our Lord.” 
These fasts had no connection with the resurrection. 
Gregory the Great gives six weeks to “Lent,” or 
thirty-six days, as the Sundays were not fast days. 
When the four days were added is not known. Layard 
alleges that a lent of forty days “in the spring of the 
year” is kept by the Yezidis or pagan Devil worshipers 
of Koordistan — inherited from the Babylonians. 
Humboldt says that pagan Mexicans began, after the 
vernal equinox, “a solemn fast for forty days in honor 
of the sun.” It is probable that other nations have 
similar customs. 

The abiding Christ. Jesus of Nazareth, whom 
Joseph of Arimathsea and Nicodemus buried, we shall 
see on earth no more. But the Christ of God I see in 
every crowded street. He appeals to me from every 
bed of pain. He cries to me from every broken heart. 
He is Incarnate, Tangible, Visible, in every moral 
movement. He stretches forth warm hands that cling 
and yearn for help in every great redemptive effort 
which glorifies our time, in the peace movement, in 
the temperance crusade, in the endeavor to realize in 
common life the brotherhood of man. For the joy 
that was set before him, he endured the cross. That 
joy let us complete, filling up what remains of the 
suffering of Christ, and carrying the cross with him ! — 
Charles F, Aked, The Courage of the Coward, p. 26. 


CALENDARS FOR ONE HUNDRED 
YEARS 


A table at the beginning of this volume shows in 
what year Easter will occur in every year during the 
next century. The following calendars will show on 
what day of the week any anniversary, as July 4, Wash- 
ington’s Birthday, Thanksgiving, or a family birthday, 
will occur in each year during the twentieth century. 
Unlike most perpetual calendars, this is as simple as 
any calendar for a single year. The Index to Calen- 
dars will show the number of the calendar which ap- 
plies to any desired year, and the desired date can then 
be determined instantly. 

It is often important to determine on what day of 
the week a past event has occurred. Most people would 
be glad to learn, if they do not already know, on what 
day of the week they were born. These calendars will 
show any past anniversary since the dawn of American 
independence in 1776. 




350 Calendars for One Hundred Years 


No. 3. 


JANUARY. 

FEBRUARY. 

MARCH. 

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JULY. 

AUGUST. 

SEPTEMBER. 

7 

14 

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1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

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30 

3 

10 

17 

34 

31 

4 

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3 

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17 

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18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

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6 

13 

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27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

OCTOBER. 


NOVEMBER. 

DECEMBER. 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

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2 

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16 

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30 

3 

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No. S. 


JANUARY. 

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JULY. 

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SEPTEMBER. 

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6 

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27 

7 

14 

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8 

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22 

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OCTOBER. 

NOVEMBER. 

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7 

14 

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1 

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*■■■ — ■■ ■ 


No. 

JANUARY. 

FEBRUARY. 

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APRIL. 

MAY. 

JUNE. 


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5 

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6 

13 

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27 

7 

14 

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1 

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7 

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1 

8 

15 

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2 

9 

16 

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31 4 
10 11 
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24 25 

. JULY. 

AUGUST. 

8EPTEIV 

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3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

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5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

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27 

7 

14 

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7 

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1 

8 

15 

22 

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2 

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16 

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3 

10 

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OCTOBER. 

NOVEMBER. 

DECEMBER. 

2 

9 

36 

23 

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A 

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10 

17 

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4 

11 

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No. 


JANUARY. 

FEBRUARY. 

MARCH. 

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AF 

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MAY. 

JUNE. 



1 

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1 

2 

3 

1 

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3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

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4 

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6 

7 

8 

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8 

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25 

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JULY. 

AUGUST. 

SEPTEMBER. 



. 1 

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3 

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13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

W 

10 

11 

12 

13 14 15 

16 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

17 

18 

19 

20,21 

22 

23 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 



24 

* 

26 

9.7 9* 

29 

30 

28 

29 









31 







OCTOBER. 

NOVEMBER. 

DECEMBER. 




1 

2 

3 

4 

... 

... 





1 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

•6 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

7 

8 

9 

10 11 

12 

13 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

9,10 

11 

12 

13 14 

15 

14 

Ip 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

16 1 17 

18 

19 

20 21 

22 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

26 

27 

‘28 

29 

30 

31 


23 24 

25 

26 

27 28 

29 

28 

29 

30 

31 






























No. 6. 


JANUARY. 

FEBRUARY. 

MARCH. 

s 

M 

T 

w 

T 

F 

s 

s 

M 

T 

w 

T 

F 

s 

s 

M 

T 

V/ 

T 

F 

s 






1 

2 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

0 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

17 

24 

18 

25 

19 

2fi 

20 

07 

21 

09 

22 

29 

23 

30 

21 

28 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

21 

OQ 

22 

20 

23 

an 

24 

31 

25 

26 

27 

31 






















AF 

>R 

IL 



MAY. 

JUNE. 







1 

2 

3 







1 



l 

2 

3 

4 

5 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

.7 

8 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

18 

25 

19 

26 

20 

27 

21 

28 

22 

29 

23 

30 

24 

16 

23 

17 

24 

18 

25 

19 

26 

20 

27 

21 

28 

22 

29 

20 

27 

21 

28 

22 

29 

23 

30 

24 

25 

26 








30 

31 













JULY. 


AUGUST. 

SEPTEMBER. 





1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 




1 

2 

3 

4 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

1? 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

2* c 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 

29 

30131 

... 

... 

... 

... 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

... 


OCTOBER. 

NOVEMBER. 

DECEMBER. 






1 

2 


1 

2 

a 

4 

5 

6 




1 

2 

3 

4 

3 

4 

6 

6 

7 

8 

9 

7 

8 

9 10 

11 

12 

13 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

14 

15 

16 17 

18 

19 

20 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

21 

22 

23 24 

25 

26 

27 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

28 

29 

30 ... 


... 


26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 


31 






















No. ©. 


JANUARY. 

FEBRUARY. 

MARCH. 

9 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

M [ T 

*2 13 
9l 10 
16 17 
23 24 
30131 

w 

"4 

11 

18 

25 

T 

"6 

12 

19 

26 

F 

"6 

13 

20 

27 

s 

“7 

14 

21 

28 

6 

M 

T 

w 

"i 

8 

15 

22 

29 

T 

~2 

9 

16 

23 

F 

~3 

10 

17 

24 

s 

"4 

11 

18 

25 

s 

4 

11 

18 

M 

”5 

12 

19 

T 

6 

13 

20 

27 

w 

“7 

14 

21 

28 

T 

"l 

8 

15 

22 

29 

F 

"2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

8 

~3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

APRIL. 

MAY. 

JUNE. 

1 

8 

15 

•22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

, 4 
11 
18 
25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

»•* 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

... 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 






1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

... 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

... 

... 

... 

... 

• M 

... 

JULY. 

AUGUST. 

SEPTEMBER. 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

.16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 






1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

4 

11 

18 

25 

6 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 





OCTOBER. 

N 

ro 

VEMBER. 

DECEM 

BER. 

7 

14 

21 

23 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

50 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

1ft 

25 

5 

12 

10 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

'*4 

11 

18 

25 

“5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 







1 

2 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

8 

15 

22 

29 




Calendars for One Hundred Years 


351 



JANUARY. 

FEBRUARY 


MARCH. 

8 

M 

T 

w 

T 

F 

s 

8 

M 

T 

w 

T 

F 

8 

8 i 

M 

T 

w 

T 

F 

8 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 





1 

2 

3 






1 

2 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

28 

29 

30 

31 




25 

26 

27 

28 

29 



24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 






31 


. 

\PRIL 




MAY. 



Jl 

JNK. 



1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 




1 

2 

3 

4 







1 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

2 

3 

4 

5 

‘6 

7 

8- 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

28 

‘29 

30 





26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 


23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 







JULY. 

AUGUST. 

SEPTEMBER. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 





1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

28 

29 

30 

31 




25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 

29 

30 

... 

... 

... 

... 

... 

OCTOBER. 

NOVEMBER. 

DECEMBER. 



1 

2 

3 

4 

5 





... 

1 

2 

1 

2 

3 

4 

6 

6 

7 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

£ 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 



24 

25 

27 

28 

29 

30 

29 

30 

31 






















INI O. 

13. 









JANUARY. 

FEBRUARY 

• 

MARCH. 

s 

M 

T 

w 

T 

F 

8 

s 

M 

T 

w 

T 

F 

s 

s 

M 

T 

w 

T 

F 

8 





1 

~2 

~3 

1 

~2 

~3 

~4 

~5 

~6 

~7 


“I 

~2 

~3 

~4 

“5 

"e 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

10 

17 

16 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 

29 


>•* 





28 

29 

30 

31 

... 

... 


APRIL. 

MAY. 

JUNE. 





1 

2 

3 







1 



1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

4 

5 

C 

7 

8 

9 

10 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

1G 

17 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

18 

19 

20 

21 

*22 

23 

24 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 


23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

27 

28 

29 

30 











30 

31 













JULY. 

AUGUST. 

SEPTEMBER. 





1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 




1 

2 

3 

4 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

18 

25 

19 

26 

20 

27 

21 

28 

22 

29 

23 

30 

24 

31 

22 

29 

23 

30 

24 

31 

25 

26 

27 

28 

19 

26 

20 

27 

21 

28 

22 

29 

23 

30 

24 

25 








OCTOBER. 

NOVEMBER. 

DECEMBER. 






1 

2 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 




1 

2 

3 

4 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

12 

13 

14 

15 16 

17 

18 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

19 

20 

21 

22 23 

24 

25 

24 

31 

25 

26 

27 

23 

29 

30 

28 

29 

30 

... 

... 

... 

... 

26 

27 

28 

29 30 

31 

... 


INJO. 11. 

JANUARY. 

FEBRUARY. 

MARCH. 

8 

*5 

12 

19 

26 

M 

6 

13 

20 

27 

T 

*7 

14 

21 

28 

w 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

t 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

F 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

s 

4 

11 

18 

25 

8 

2 

9 

16 

23 

M 

3 

10 

17 

24 

T 

4 

11 

18 

25 

w 

5 

12 

19 

26 

T 

6 

13 

20 

27 

F 

7 

14 

21 

28 

s 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

8 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

M 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

T 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

w 

4 

11 

18 

25 

T 

5 

12 

19 

26 

F 

6 

13 

20 

27 

8 

7 

14 

21 

28 

APRIL. 

MAY. 

JUNE. 




1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

4 

11 

18 

25 






1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

J2 

19 

26 

6 

1? 

2( 

27 

5 

12 

19 

26 1 

6 

13 

20 

r27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

3 

10 

17 

24 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

JULY. 

AUGUST. 

SEPTEMBER. 




1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

*24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 







l 

8 

15 

22 

29 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

4 

11 

18 

25 

t 

i: 

19 

21 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

o< 

DT 

OBER. 


NOVEMBER. 

DECEMBER. 

4 

U 

18 

25 

• •• 

5 

12 

f9 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

4 

11 

18 

25 

••» 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

% . . 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

15 

22 

28 

... 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

£. 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 

b 

12 

19 

26 

• • • 

•H 


No. 1A. 

JANUARY. 

FEBRUARY. 

UAKCH. 

3 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

M 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

T 

4 

11 

18 

25 

w 

5 

12 

19 

26 

T 

6 

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20 

27 

F 

7 

14 

21 

28 

s 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

s 

6 

13 

20 

27 

M 

7 

14 

21 

28 

T 

1. 

8 

15 

22 

29 

w 

~2 

9 

16 

23 

T 

1 

10 

17 

24 

• •• 

ri 

*4 

11 

18 

25 

s 

~5 

12 

19 

26 

s 

.%. 

5 

12 

19 

26 

M 

*4 

13 

20 

27 

T 

7 

14 

21 

28 

w 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

T 

"2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

F 

1 

10 

17 

24 

31 

8 

"4 

11 

18 

25 


APRIL 


MAY. 

JUNE. 







1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

15 

22 

2 . 9 

2 

9 

16 

23 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 





1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

• •• 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

4 

11 

18 

‘25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

4 

U 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

Jl 

JLY. 

AUGUST. 


SEPTEMBE1 

t 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

*26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

S 

15 

22 

29 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

3 

10 

17 

24 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

NOVEMBER. 

DECEMBER. 


OCTOBER. 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

... 

4 

11 

18 

25 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

1 

8 

15 

22 

29 

2 

9 

16 

23 

30 

3 

10 

17 

24 

31 

4 

11 

18 

25 

5 

12 

19 

26 

6 

13 

20 

27 

7 

14 

21 

28 










No. 

13. 









JANUARY. 

FEBRUARY 


MARCH. 

8 

M 

T 

w 

T 

F 

s 

8 

M 

T 

w 

T 

F 

8 

S 

M 

T 

w 

T 

F 

s 






1 

~2 


1 

"2 

3 

4 

6 

6 


. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 12 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18! 19 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

20 

21 

22 

‘43 

24 

25 26 

24 

si 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

28 

29 






27 

28 

29 

30 

31 




AT 

*K 

IL 




MAY. 


JI 

JN 

E. 






1 

2 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 




1 

2 

3 

4 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

11 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

15 

16 

17 

13 

19 

20 

21 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

IS 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

•27. 

28 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

29 

30 

31 

... 

... 

... 

... 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

... 

... 



JULY. 

AUGUST. 

SEPTEMBER. 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

1 

8 

2 

9 

7 

1 

8 

2 

9 

3 

10 

4 

11 

5 

12 

6 

13 

4 

5 

6 

7 

l 

8 

9 

«3 

10 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

24 

31 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

28 

29 

30 

31 

... 

... 

... 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

••• 

o< 

DTOBER. 

NOVEMBER. 

DECEMBER 










1 

2 

3 

4 

5 




1 

2 

3 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9110 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

11 

12113 

14 

15 

16117 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

18 

19! 20 

21 

22 

23J24 

23 

30 

24 

31 

25 

20 

27 

23 

29 

27 

28 

29 

30 

... 

... 

... 

25 

26j27 

28 29 

30 31 





INDEX TO CALENDARS 


The number opposite each date is that of the calendar which 
applies to that year. For example, any day in 1776 can be found in 
Calendar 9; any day in 1925 can be found in Calendar 5. 


1776 .. 

No. 
9 

1821 .. 

No. 
2 

1866 .. 

No. 

1911 .. 

No. 

1956 

No. 

8 

1777 .. 

4 

1822 . . 

3 

1867 .. 

3 

1912 .. 


1957 

3 

1778 . . 

5 

1823 .. 

4 

1868 .. 

11 

1913 . . 

4 

1958 

4 

1779 .. 


1824 .. 


1869 .. 

6 

1914 .. 

5 

1959 

5 

1780 .. 

14 

1825 .. 

7 

1870 .. 


1915 .. 

6 

1960 


1781 . . 

2 

1826 .. 


1871 .. 

1 

1916 .. 

14 

1961 

1 

1782 . . 

3 

1827 .. 

2 

1872 .. 


1917 .. 

2 

1962 


1783 . . 

4 

1828 .. 


1873 .. 

4 

1918 .. 

3 

1963 

3 

1784 . . 

12 

1829 .. 

5 

1874 . . 

5 

1919 .. 

4 

1964 

11 

1785 . . 

7 

1830 .. 

6 

1875 .. 


1920 .. 

12 

1965 

6 

1786 . . 

1 

1831 .. 

7 

1876 . 

14 

1921 .. 


1966 

7 

1787 .. 

2 

1832 . . 

8 

1877 .. 

2 

1922 .. 

1 

1967 

1 

1788 .. 

10 

1833 .. 

3 

1878 .. 

3 

1923 . . 

2 

1968 


1789 .. 

5 

1834 .. 

4 

1879 .. 


1924 .. 

10 

1969 

4 

1790 .. 

6 

1835 .. 

5 

1880 .. 

12 

1925 .. 

5 

1970 

5 

1791 .. 

7 

1836 .. 

13 

1881 . . 

7 

1926 . . 


1971 

6 

1792 .. 

8 

1837 .. 

1 

1882 .. 

1 

1927 .. 


1972 

14 

1793 . . 

3 

1838 .. 

2 

1883 .. 

2 

1928 .. 


1973 

2 

1794 .. 

4 

1839 .. 

3 

1884 . 

10 

1929 .. 

3 

1974 

3 

1795 . . 

5 

1840 .. 

11 

1885 .. 


1930 .. 


1975 


1796 .. 

13 

1841 .. 

6 

1886 .. 

6 

1931 .. 

5 

1976 


1797 . . 

1 

1842 . 

7 

1887 .. 

7 

1932 .. 

13 

1977 

7 

1798 .. 

2 

1843 . . 

1 

1888 .. 

8 

1933 .. 

1 

1978 

1 

1799 . . 

3 

1844 . 

9 

1889 .. 

3 

1934 .. 

2 

1979 

2 

1800 . . 


1845 .. 

4 

1890 .. 

4 

1935 .. 

3 

1980 

10 

1801 . . 

5 

1846 .. 

5 

1891 .. 


1936 .. 

11 

1981 

5 

1802 .. 

6 

1847 .. 

6 

1892 .. 

13 

1937 .. 


1982 

6 

1803 .. 

7 

1848 .. 


1893 .. 

1 

1938 .. 

7 

1983 

7 

1804 . . 

8 

1849 .. 

2 

1894 .. 

2 

1939 .. 

1 

1984 

8 

1805 . . 

3 

1850 . 

3 

1895 . 


1940 .. 


1985 

3 

1806 .. 

4 

1851 .. 

4 

1896 .. 

11 

1941 .. 

4 

1986 


1807 .. 

5 

1852 .. 

12 

1897 .. 

6 

1942 .. 

5 

1987 

5 

1808 . . 

13 

1853 .. 

7 

1898 .. 

7 

1943 . 


1988 

13 

1809 . . 

1 

1854 .. 

1 

1899 .. 


1944 . . 

... 14 

1989 

1 

1810 .. 

2 

1855 .. 


1900 . 

2 

1945 .. 


1990 

2 

1811 .. 

3 

1856 .. 

10 

1901 . 

3 

1946 . 

3 

1991 

3 

1812 .. 

11 

1857 . 

5 

1902 .. 

4 

1947 .. 


1992 

11 

1813 .. 

6 

1858 . 

6 

1903 . 


1948 . 

12 

1993 

6 

1814 .. 

7 

1859 . 

7 

1904 .. 

13 

1949 . 

7 

1994 

7 

1815 .. 

1 

1860 . 

8 

1905 . 


1950 . 

1 

1995 

5 

1816 . . 

9 

1861 . 

3 

1906 . 

.... 2 

1951 . 

.... 2 

1996 

1997 

g 

1817 .. 

4 

1862 . 

4 

1907 . 

.... 3 

1952 . 

10 

4 

1818 .. 

5 

1863 .. 

5 

1908 . 

11 

1953 . 


1998 

5 

1819 .. 

6 

1864 . 

13 

1909 . 

6 

1954 . 

6 

1999 

6 

1820 .. 

14 

1865 . 

1 

1916 . 

7 

1955 . 


2000 

14 


Illustration. — If you were born June 28, 1861, and wish to know 
the day of the week, the index shows that Calendar 3 applies to that 
year. Calendar 3 shows that in all years to which that calendar applies 
June 28 falls on Friday. 

(Copyright, 1913, by William E. Barton.) 













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